


I Need to Tell You

by Kat123



Category: Far Cry 5, Far Cry: New Dawn
Genre: Ahh '90s movies, Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas Fluff, Coma, Confessions, Ethan is a somewhat-mopey teenager, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Far Cry 5 AU, Far Cry 5 No-Cult AU, Fiancee??, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Homage, I'm what now??, Jake Seed in a coma is either tragic for people or a dream come true, Joseph is a great dad, Meet the Family, Misunderstandings, Movie AU, Of course John is immediately suspicious, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff, Slow Build, Slow(ish) Burn, While You Were Sleeping - Freeform, While You Were Sleeping tribute, accidental family, embarrased by his dad like any other teen, he bakes cupcakes, lawyer instincts, movie tribute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:08:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23955871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat123/pseuds/Kat123
Summary: Sarah Rook lives a lonely life, until one Christmas when she saves an unconscious Jacob Seed's life. Through a misunderstanding, his family is told that Sarah is Jacob's fiancée. Jacob's brother John is suspicious of this 'supposed fiancée', but the rest of the family quickly welcomes her into their home and Sarah feels the love of a family for the first time in her life. What will happen as John and Sarah grow closer, and Jacob finally wakes up from his coma?(FC5 No-Cult AU, based off of the '90s movie 'While You Were Sleeping'.)
Relationships: Deputy | Judge/John Seed, Female Deputy | Judge/John Seed, Joseph Seed/Megan, Joseph Seed/Original Character(s), Joseph Seed/Original Female Character(s), Kim Rye/Nick Rye
Comments: 28
Kudos: 32





	1. Choo Choooo, Here Comes the Train...

**Author's Note:**

> This is a FC5 No-Cult AU, based off of the '90s romantic comedy movie 'While You Were Sleeping'. Some of the characters from 'Far Cry New Dawn' will also make miscellaneous appearances throughout.  
> The plot of this fic is going to stick pretty close to the plot of the movie - but it's not going to be EXACT. There will be little 'Far Cry 5' references thrown around here & there, and the setting is, of course, in rural Montana. My FC5 Dep, Sarah Rook, works as a ticket stub collector at a train station just outside of Hope County. And our story takes off from there...

_When I was growing up in Connecticut, my dad used to say, ‘Life doesn’t always turn out the way you plan.’ I used to think he was referring to him and my mom, who had died when I was only a little girl. It never occurred to me until I was much older that he was actually referring to MY life._

_He tried to be brave, always look happy around me... but I could tell he really missed her. My own memories of her were a bit hazy, so I’d question him about her every so often. One time I asked my dad when he knew he was TRULY in love with my mom. He got this big smile on his face as he thought for a moment, then replied, ‘Sarah, your mother gave me a special gift. She gave me the world.’_

_...Actually, it was a globe with a light in it. But... for the romantic that he was, it might as WELL have been the world._

_Well, the first time I saw HIM, he didn’t exactly give me the world - it was a train ticket stub (...here in remote Montana - where I live NOW - we don’t have those fancy automated ticket machines like more densely-populated areas). But... I looked forward to it at work, every single day. He started coming to my station counter between 8:01 and 8:15am every morning, Monday through Friday, and he was just... what was he? ...Mysterious, I think is the word I’d use to describe him. Mysterious, yet... alluring._

_Tall, definitely at least six feet. In his late 30s, maybe early 40s based on the slight crinkles beginning to form on his face. An imposing but not over-the-top build. Always wore a green camouflage army jacket. I’d catch a glimpse of the name tape every so often - ‘SEED’, above his upper pocket. Undercut hairstyle (buzzed short on the sides, longer on top), mustache, and beard the color of rust. Some small scars and rashes on his face... this man has definitely seen some battle. But... I still considered him handsome, in his way._

_He’d lumber over, combat boots thumping with every step, drop the ticket stub on my counter, and then continue on to the train platform. We didn’t make eye contact often - and in the brief moments in which we DID... there was just something about those blue eyes of his. I felt like he had a lot of interesting stories to tell._

_We’ve- well, we’ve never actually SPOKEN, but... I know someday we will. I just know it. And someday... I’ll find a way to introduce myself, and it’s gonna be great - just like my rugged, mysterious soldier._

* * *

“Forty-five dollars for a Christmas tree, and they don't deliver? You order $10 worth of chow mein from Mr. Wong’s, and they bring it to your _door_. Ugh!” 

Sarah grunted as she braced one of her booted feet against the wall beneath her apartment window, struggling to pull up the rope attached to the tree outside - which was currently dangling precariously between her window and the pavement below.

“Oof, I should've gotten the blue spruce. They’re lighter,” she grumbled. As she took a step back with her other foot, she accidentally slipped on the rest of the rope on the floor and landed smack-dab on her butt. It was only instinct that she used her hands to cushion her fall... but unfortunately, that also meant letting go of the rope that was holding up the tree.

She watched in horror as it happened, almost in slow-motion: the rope flew out the window, followed by a loud thump and the sound of breaking glass.

“ _Sarah!_ ” came an annoyed shout from downstairs.

She gritted her teeth and inhaled sharply. _Damn it._

* * *

" 'Nature of claim: _Christmas tree through window_ '. ...How’m l gonna put _that_ on my insurance??" 

Adelaide Drubman (or ‘Addie’, as she kept insisting Sarah call her), was Sarah’s sassy landlord who also lived in the apartment directly below _hers_ . She sat back from her kitchen table and crossed her arms, lips pursed and fixing Sarah with a scowl that barely hid her mild amusement at the situation. “They’re _still_ pissed about the fire we had when Hurk Jr. barbecued in the stairwell!” 

“I-I missed that one,” Sarah said, hoping her landlord wasn’t _completely_ mad at her despite the circumstances.

“Oh, _great_ sausage,” Addie replied, the corner of her lips starting to turn upwards.

Sarah sighed and gestured at Addie’s broken window with the top of Sarah’s tree still poking through the frame. “Look, I-I’ll pay for this, I swear.” 

Her landlord sighed and waved a hand at her nonchalantly. “S’okay, Sarah. My boyfriend Xander knows a guy in the glass business - he’ll get this sorted out.”

Sarah nodded gratefully, then suddenly remembered. “Oh!” She reached into her sweater sleeve and pulled out a small gift box she’d tucked away before coming downstairs. “l almost forgot - Merry Christmas.”

“Aw, Sarah...” Addie smiled and took the box from her. “You- you didn't have to do that, sweetheart.”

“Well, l wanted to.” Sarah returned the smile and started heading for Addie’s apartment door.

Addie looked down at the box in her hands and shrugged. “l haven't even gotten to my shopping yet-”

“Hey, Momma. Could l give that bottle of ‘McHelen 57’ whiskey you got from Cousin Sharky to my probation officer?”

Addie’s grown son Hurk Jr. strode into the room, and Sarah resisted the urge to grimace. For as... ‘flagrant’ as Addie could be at times, Hurk Jr, well... there was no real nice way to say that he was a bit... ‘simple’. He wasn’t a _bad_ guy, just... ‘cringey’ sometimes.

“Don’t you see we've got some company?” Addie reprimanded her son. “Say ‘hello’.”

The way Hurk eyed her up and down - the way a hungry man might look at a steak - made Sarah want to shudder a little. 

“Hey there, Sarah. Nice, uh...” He extended a hand out towards her, searching for the right compliment (that likely wouldn’t earn him a smack from his mother). 

Sarah stared at him somewhat apprehensively, waiting.

“...Sweater,” he finally decided. 

Sarah smiled politely and nodded. “...Th- thank you,” she murmured, trying to pretend she hadn’t seen his eyebrows waggle at her suggestively.

Addie made a small noise akin to a snort and pointed across the room to a liquor cabinet. “lt's over there, Hurk,” she drawled. She & Sarah watched Hurk cross the room to where she’d indicated, while Addie got up and moved next to Sarah. 

“Sarah, you’re a nice girl,” Addie said quietly, raising an eyebrow. “You know... Hurk Jr.’s still single.”

As Hurk squatted down to inspect the bottom shelves of the cabinet, the waistband of his jeans sunk, revealing... more of his lower backside than was ideal.

Sarah’s mouth twisted - partly because she was turned off, partly because she was trying not to laugh. “Yeah, it's a... shocker.”

Addie sighed and shook her head, giving Sarah a sympathetic look.

“Hey... ya can’t blame a mother for tryin’.”

* * *

Sarah removed her winter coat and plunked herself down at the bar inside ‘The Spread Eagle’ with a soft grunt, eager to unwind after a long day. The dark-haired gentleman behind the bar nodded when he saw her.

“What’ll you have?”

“Oh, the ‘usual’ ”, she replied, rubbing a hand against her forehead with a sigh.

The bartender looked unamused. “And what’s _that?_ ”

“...Burger... Coke...” She tried not to raise an eyebrow at him - a guy with a ponytail usually wasn’t someone whose patience you’d want to test - but she _was_ normally here at least once a week (if not more) to get a bite to eat after her shift, and almost always ordered the same thing - so she was a little surprised he hadn’t had it memorized it by now. Oh well.

“Sarah! Sarah, Sarah, Saraaahhh...” a voice called gleefully.

“Hi Jerry.”

Jerome Jeffries, her boss, sat down next to her with a soft laugh. “I’m glad to find you here!” He reached into his coat and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “l am recommending you for ‘Employee of the Month’!” He made eye contact with the bartender and lifted his chin towards him. “The usual.”

The bartender nodded and smiled, no questions asked as he headed to the back to put the orders in. 

Sarah tried not to scowl at him, but then directed her attention back to Jerome and smiled. “Really? I didn't know there _was_ an ‘Employee of the Month’.”

“Oh, yeah!” He unfolded the paper and adjusted his glasses before he began reading. “ ‘Supervisor Jerome Jeffries nominates Sarah Rook for ‘Employee of the Month’. Sarah is never tardy, always works holidays - even if she has worked the _previous_ holiday.’ ” He paused and peered over the top of the paper at her hopefully as he continued. “ ‘Just because she worked Thanksgiving, Sarah is also willing to work on Christmas too’...”

“Jerry-” Sarah shook her head vehemently. “I'm _not_ working Christmas.”

“But you’ll get a nice plaque with the mayor’s stamp on it!” he countered.

“l didn't vote.”

“You might get a special mention at the ‘Testy Festy’ opening ceremonies.”

“Ugh, I _hate_ ‘bull bits’.”

“Did l mention extra holiday pay?”

“l hate _you_.”

“Sarah-” Jerome placed a hand on her arm gently, looking a bit desperate. “Look... Nadine is sick, and Tracey can't switch because she’s got some big family thing, and l promised my family I'd be there for them this year.”

“...This stinks, Jerry,” Sarah pouted, feeling herself fold faster than Superman on laundry day.

“l know it isn't fair, and I can't make you do it. But Sarah, you’re the only one...” he stopped, looking apologetic.

“...Without family,” she finished with a sigh. She wasn’t about to force someone with obligations to take her place, but...

_...Damn it._

* * *

Sarah finally hung the last of the ornaments on her Christmas tree and took a step back to admire her work. Not too shabby. Hearing gentle footfalls behind her, she smiled softly. “What do you think, sweetie? All pretty for Christmas Eve?”

She turned and looked down at the approaching chocolate brown cat, his amber eyes wide as he took in the soft glow of the colored Christmas lights.

“...Mrow?”

“Well... you _have_ been very good this year, so I suppose I can give you your present early.”

Pulling a small, thin box from under the tree, she opened it up and held it out for him to sniff curiously.

“What do you think, Cheeseburger?”

The cat blinked at her a couple times, then raised a paw and batted at her hand gently.

“All right, gimme a second here...” She took the new cat collar out of the box - blue with a little bow tie and miscellaneous burgers printed on the fabric - and gently secured it around his neck. “You look very handsome in it, Mr. Burger.”

“...Rawr.” 

* * *

It was Christmas Day. Sarah was sitting in her booth working. And she was a bit cranky about it. She watched as a smiling couple and two giggling children descended the stairs of the train platform and headed out to the parking lot. No one else was seen around the station - not that Sarah could blame anyone. Surely most people had already done their traveling for the holidays to see their loved ones, or were simply taking their own cars today. She sighed and stretched her limbs out in her seat. It was going to be a long day. 

So distracted was she in her minor self-pity, that she didn’t even hear the approaching crunch of boots in the light layer of snow outside her booth, nor see the broad-shouldered figure heading her way. A ticket stub slid through the opening at the bottom of her ticket window, and it was only when she heard a slightly gruff-sounding voice that she happened to look up at her customer.

“Hey.”

When her glance met with the familiar blue eyes of the soldier she’d come to expect every morning (with the ‘SEED’ army name tape), she froze like the winter air outside. 

The soldier smirked a little and gave her a slight nod. “Merry Christmas.”

By the time Sarah had uttered a startled, “Uh- ah-”, ‘Mr. Seed’ had already continued past her and onto the train platform.

She watched his retreating form for a couple seconds, dumbstruck, then blinked as her senses finally flew back to her. Grimacing, she smacked herself in the forehead a few times with the heels of her palms.

“ _Stupid!_ ” she hissed furiously, all the things she _could_ have said reverberating painfully in her brain. “...‘Nice coat’... ‘Merry Christmas to you too’. ‘You’re handsome’... ‘will you marry me?’ …’I love you!’” she finished with a groan, face-planting on her counter.

Taking a deep breath, she sat back up, shaking her head slightly. The distant sound of conversation caught her attention again.

“Heyyy, look who it is! ‘Mr. Army Man’ from the bar the other night!”

“Buzz off guys, not today.” (That was her red-headed mystery man.)

“Hey, nice coat! Looks nice and warm...”

“Listen - I don’t want any trouble, and I’m sure you don’t either-”

By the time Sarah looked up at ‘Mr. Seed’ again, she saw two other young men that appeared to be harassing him, her view partially obstructed by one of the train platform’s pillars. One of the newcomers grabbed at the soldier’s coat aggressively, and ‘Mr. Seed’ shoved him back - but then lost his balance and fell back onto the train tracks below.

“Oh!” Wide-eyed, Sarah gasped and didn’t think, just reacted. She flew off her chair and threw open the door of her booth, then raced down the platform towards where the man had fallen.

“Shit!” one of his aggressors exclaimed, while the other pulled on his buddy’s arm. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” the other yelled, and they bolted past Sarah the opposite way.

When Sarah reached the train tracks, she spotted the man sprawled out on his back on the tracks below, eyes closed.

“Somebody help me, please!” she yelled over her shoulder, not sure if anyone was even around to hear her, then crouched down at the platform’s edge. “Sir? Sir? Are you okay? Can- can you get up?”

No response.

“God... sir? This is not good,” she moaned. She took a deep breath and lowered herself down to the track, then knelt beside him. “Oh, God, mister, um, can you-” 

She tried shaking him a little, but still no response. “Are you breathing?” she asked, more to herself than him. Leaning over his body, she brought the side of her face up to his mouth - minorly relieved when she felt his breath warm against her cheek (though his breathing was shallow). She caught a faint woodsy scent, perhaps some kind of cologne he was wearing. 

“God, you smell good,” she murmured, pulling back to look down at him again. His name tape under his winter coat caught her eye as she moved aside and a small light bulb in her brain clicked on. “Mr. Seed!” she called out, hoping maybe if he heard his name, it might help. “Mr. Seed, please wake up. Please-” She stroked his hair a little, praying it would evoke some kind of reaction from him. “Oh, God. Can you wake up? Can you hear me?”

The sound of a distant horn made her eyes flicker upwards and she did a double-take when she saw a train approaching further down the same track, heading right for the two of them.

“Oh _God!_ ” she cried, her gaze darting back down to the man. “Wake _up!!!_ ” She turned her head momentarily, growing more and more desperate by the second. “Somebody help me, _please!_ ” she shrieked. “Mr. Seed?” Her hands tugged at his coat collar in desperation. “ _Mr. Seed!_ There's a train coming, and it's _fast!_ We need to _move!_ ” 

Her options were rapidly running out as the train got nearer and nearer. Though its brakes engaged with ear splitting metallic screeches, she just knew it wasn’t going to stop before it reached them. She had to do _something_ \- and if she wanted to prevent them _both_ from being overrun and crushed, she had to do it _NOW_.

“ _Oh God!_ ”

Summoning all the strength and resolve she could possibly muster, she gripped the front of his coat as closely and tightly as she could, then rolled them both over the side of the tracks to safety - just as the train flew past them with a deafening roar. 

It was several blinks and deep breaths later before Sarah realized that she _hadn’t_ actually died in that moment. They were _both_ still alive, for now. 

A low grunt shifted her focus back down to the man underneath her. His head moved from side to side a little and his eyes squinted open, looking up at Sarah blankly.

“...H-hi,” she managed to stammer out.

His eyes rolled back in his head, and with a small huff he was out once more. 

Sarah stared down at him for a few seconds, then exhaled and sagged against him, utterly exhausted.


	2. "Family ONLY!" "...She IS family!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah goes to the hospital to check on the man whose life she saved, and things get... very complicated, very quickly.

_Summoning all the strength and resolve she could possibly muster, she gripped the front of his coat as closely and tightly as she could, then rolled them both over the side of the tracks to safety - just as the train flew past them with a deafening roar._

_It was several blinks and deep breaths later before Sarah realized that she hadn’t actually died in that moment. They were both still alive, for now._

_A low grunt shifted her focus back down to the man underneath her. His head moved from side to side a little and his eyes squinted open, looking up at Sarah blankly._

_“...H-hi,_ _” she managed to stammer out._

_His eyes rolled back in his head, and with a small huff he was out once more._

_Sarah stared down at him for a few seconds, then exhaled and sagged against him, utterly exhausted._

* * *

At St. Francis Hospital, Sarah rushed over to the nurses station in the emergency department.

“ ‘Scuse me-” she said to the older nurse behind the desk. “A moment ago a guy- a man was brought in-” 

“Alright, what’s his name?” the nurse gently interrupted.

“I don’t- uh...” Sarah blinked for a second, still somewhat in shock over everything that’d happened. 

...Wait. The name tape on the soldier’s army jacket. 

“ ‘Seed’,” she told the nurse. “Mr. Seed.” 

The nurse’s lips tightened a little, but her voice remained patient. “...What’s his _first_ name?” 

“I don’t know-”

“You don’t _know?_ ” the nurse interrupted again, raising an eyebrow. “I need to know his name.”

Movement in her peripheral vision caused Sarah to turn her head momentarily, and she saw some hospital staff bringing her red-headed soldier in on a stretcher through the glass doors of the ambulatory entrance, followed by a law officer. 

“He’s right- he’s right there...” she said, pointing at the stretcher.

“Okay, why don’t you-”

Not wanting to miss ‘Mr. Seed’, Sarah started heading for the glass doors. 

“W-wait, you can’t go in-” the nurse started to protest.

Before Sarah reached the doors, a young doctor came through them to pick up a clipboard, then held up a hand to stop her. “Woah woah, you can’t go in there,” he told her.

“No no, you- you don’t understand-” she started to say.

“Are you family?” he asked impatiently.

“No, I-” 

”Family _ONLY_.” 

“But you don’t understand-” she tried to explain, but he cut her off again.

“ _You_ -” He pointed rudely to the waiting area, “-can wait _there_.” 

He turned and went back through the doors to Mr. Seed, conversing with the staff already with him.

Sarah stared after him, defeated. She was unaware of the other, younger nurse behind her who’d been talking to a patient in the waiting room, but had looked up at the doctor’s dismissal. 

Sarah sighed, her shoulders sagging.

“Oh... I was gonna marry him,” she murmured wistfully.

...If Sarah _had_ noticed the younger nurse earlier, she’d have seen the nurse’s jaw drop, a look of sympathy on her face.

* * *

“Come on, come with me. Over here.”

The young nurse directed Sarah into a patient room within the hospital's intensive care unit a short while later. The red-haired soldier lay in a hospital bed - a thin oxygen tube under his nose, an IV in his arm, and a machine next to his bed monitoring his vital signs.

As Sarah sat in a chair beside his bed, the nurse smiled down at her reassuringly. “Let him hear your voice, hon,” she said.

“Okay,” Sarah nodded. “Thank you, nurse-” She caught sight of the other woman’s name badge clipped to her chest pocket. “-Selene,” she finished. She watched the nurse nod and make her way outside the room, then looked back down at the man.

“Hi,” she started weakly, trying to think of what exactly to say as her eyes flickered from the monitor back down to the man’s pale complexion. “Um... everything is gonna be okay. l know it... it's gonna be fine.”

The nurse - Selene - watched her through the glass wall near the door separating the room from the rest of the ICU, a small smile still on her face.

‘ ‘Scuse me-” 

A law officer approached her - the one that’d been with the man when he’d arrived at the hospital. He was an older gentleman with longer, dirty blond hair, a prominent mustache, and large, thin glasses. He nodded his head towards Sarah. 

“Is that the woman who saved his life?” 

The nurse’s smile grew into a grin. “Yeah. It gets even better than that-” she replied. “She’s his _fiancee_.” 

The man’s brow raised. He regarded Sarah for a moment before heading into the room.

“Excuse me ma’am,” he said, walking towards her. 

She stood up from the bedside when she saw his badge and law enforcement patch.

“Sheriff Whitehorse,” he introduced. “I’m sorry, but I need to ask you a few questions,” he continued. He didn’t get any further though, because a hand gently appeared on his shoulder and an older doctor (not the rude one from before) suddenly appeared at his side.

“Officer - may I interrupt you?” the doctor asked.

“Sure.” He glanced at Sarah and gestured across the room with his head. “I’ll be right over there.” 

“Thank you,” the doctor said. He turned to Sarah and held out his hand. “I’m Dr. Rubin.”

Sarah shook his hand “Hi, I’m Sarah.”

“Sarah-”

It was Dr. Rubin’s turn to be interrupted now, as the ICU erupted into a frenzy of noise and activity.

“Don’t tell us about passes! Where the hell is he?” a man called out in a loud voice.

“Uncle Nick, don’t embarrass me...” a younger male groaned.

Sarah and Dr. Rubin turned to see a group of people - two men (one in a baseball cap), three women (one middle-aged, one younger, and one very old), and one male teenager - hurry into the room and towards Mr. Seed’s bedside.

“Oh, he’s so pale, my God!” the darker-haired woman cried out.

“What is this?” Dr. Rubin asked, narrowing his eyes. “You all can’t just come bursting into this unit!” 

One of the men - the one _not_ wearing the hat - looked up at Dr. Rubin. 

“This is my brother, how is he??” he urged. Judging by his voice, he _wasn’t_ the one that had spoken loudly a few seconds ago, so... the one _with_ the baseball cap must have been ‘Nick’. 

While Mr. Seed’s family continued to cluster around his hospital bed, Sarah gritted her teeth and slowly moved to the back of the room and out of the way, trying to be as nonchalant as possible.

“He’ll be alright, right?” the slightly younger-looking woman - her hair a honey blonde color - pressed.

“What happened? What’s going on?” the brother spoke again.

“He’s in a coma,” Dr. Rubin responded matter-of-factly with a slight shrug, as if someone had just asked him about the weather.

“On Christmas Day!” the old woman lamented.

“His vital signs are strong, his brain waves are good - I think he’s gonna get through this,” Dr. Rubin assured them.

“Are you a specialist?” the man with the cap (the one determined to be ‘Nick’) asked the doctor, doubt clear in his voice.

“How did this happen?” the darker-haired woman asked, distraught.

Before she could think better of it, Sarah heard herself blurt out, “Um, he was pushed from the platform at the train station.” 

One could’ve heard a pin drop as the room immediately fell silent (save for the beeping of Mr. Seed’s machines). All eyes turned to stare at Sarah - who immediately became uncomfortable and stiffened.

“...Who’s she?” Mr. Seed’s brother asked.

The friendly nurse from before, Selene (she must have re-entered the room amidst all the commotion), scrunched up her face at the family, confused. “She’s his fiancee.” 

A pause, and then a bomb seemed to go off as the family burst into noise again.

“His _fiancee?_ ”  
“ _Jake’s_ fiance?”  
“Jacob’s _engaged?_ ” 

(...Jacob. So - ‘ _Jacob_ ’ was the red-haired soldier’s first name. Jacob Seed. Ohh.)

Selene’s head whipped back and forth from the family, to Sarah, and back again. “Well yeah, I thought-” 

Sarah’s eyes became wide as saucers, and she instantly felt the blood drain from her face. “N-no no no, you don’t understand-”

“He would’ve told us, right? He _should’ve_ told us...” the blonde woman murmured.

“Maybe he was busy?” the old woman suggested.

“Too busy to tell his own brother he’s getting _married??_ ” Jacob’s brother griped.

“All right, don’t yell at him-” the darker-haired woman scolded.

“I’m not yelling at him!” One of his hands flew up into his hair. “If only John were here...” 

Sarah covered her face with her hands, feeling like she was trapped in a bad dream.

“Oh dear...” the old woman sank down into the chair Sarah had been sitting in before.

“Nana?” The teen boy standing next to her put an arm around her shoulders, concern written on his face.

“Is she okay?” Dr. Rubin asked, raising his brow.

The man with the cap, Nick, leaned in to address the doctor. “She’s got a little heart trouble... she’s had three attacks already,” he told him with a lowered voice.

Sarah’s hands flew to her chest, horrified.

“They weren’t ‘attacks’... they were ‘episodes’!” ‘Nana’ protested.

“...Nothing wrong with her _hearing_ ,” Nick muttered, which earned him a slight scowl from Nana.

“ _Excuse_ me, doctor-” The younger, rude doctor from before entered the room and strode over to Dr. Rubin, glaring at Sarah out of the corner of his eye. “What is _she_ doing in here?” 

“Hey, buddy - she saved the guy’s _life_.” Sheriff Whitehorse (who Sarah had _completely_ forgotten was still in the room and witnessing all this... _calamity_ ) chastised, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jacob’s family turned to stare at her again, surprise in their eyes.

“You saved his _life??_ ” the darker-haired woman said, her face brightening.

“Y-yeah, yeah, but-” Sarah started to say.

“I thought he was pushed off the train platform?” Jacob’s brother questioned.

“She jumped onto the tracks,” the sheriff answered. 

“You jumped onto the _tracks??_ ” Nick asked Sarah incredulously, his eyes wide.

Sarah gave the family an uncomfortable smile and shrugged meekly.

“Doctor, it’s supposed to be family _only!_ ” the young doctor practically whined through gritted teeth. Had she not been so caught up in the current situation, Sarah might have rolled her eyes.

Jacob’s brother reached out and gently pushed the back of his hand against the young doctor’s chest. “She _is_ family,” he insisted, narrowing his eyes at the man as if _daring_ him to argue with him.

“She’s the _fiancee_ , you idiot!” Dr. Rubin hissed.

Sarah stepped forward, guilt flooding her system. “Okay, look-” She held her hands up apologetically. “l-l'm sorry. Y- you- you don't understand-”

The darker-haired woman moved to stand in front of her, looking at her with reverence like she was some kind of miracle - which instantly made Sarah feel a thousand times _worse_.

“I’m awfully sorry,” the darker-haired woman confessed. “We haven’t... _seen_ Jacob for a long while now, so... we didn’t _know_. I always wanted him to find a nice girl.” She paused, tears forming in her eyes. “...I’m so glad he found _you_.” 

Before Sarah could react, the woman reached out and wrapped her arms around Sarah, hugging her tightly with a soft sob. Jacob’s brother smiled softly and patted Sarah’s shoulder, while the rest of the family also beamed at her and looked on gratefully.

...A _thousand_ times worse? Make that a _million_.

* * *

Sarah dragged Selene out of the room by the hand, after managing to pry herself away from Jacob’s family for a moment and assuring Sheriff Whitehorse that she'd call him to answer questions as soon as she got a chance.

“Wh- WHY did you say that??” Sarah hissed at the nurse, trying (and failing) to keep her composure.

“Say _what?_ ” Selene asked, looking completely confused.

Sarah waved her hands in front of her almost frantically. “I’m not his fiancee!”

Selene’s jaw dropped. “Then why did you tell me that you _were?_ ”

“I’m not engaged, I’ve never even _spoken_ to the guy before!” 

“What?? Well, down- downstairs, you said- you said you were gonna marry him!”

Sarah rolled her eyes, throwing her hands up in the hair. “Ah geez, I was talking to myself!” 

“Well next time you talk to yourself, remind yourself that you’re single and end the conversation!” Selene retorted.

Sarah sighed, covering her face with her hands. “I can’t- ...what am I gonna do?”

Selene winced sympathetically. “I don’t know...” 

“She held me so tight.” Sarah rubbed the back of her neck anxiously with a groan. “l- you know, l _couldn’t-_ l couldn’t tell her.”

“I know...”

“Excuse me, nurse-” Nick walked up to the two of them, while Sarah instinctively clapped a hand over her mouth. “Do you have a pharmacy in the hospital?”

“What do you need?” Selene asked him.

“Jamila - she wants some nitroglycerin.” 

_Jamila?_ ...Ohhh, that must be ‘Nana’.

“Oh, for her heart problem?” Selene said.

“ ‘Problem’?” Nick repeated with a smile. “HEH. _Problems_.” He turned to Sarah and placed a hand on her shoulder, his smile growing into a grin. “You know somethin’ - I think you saved her life. In fact, I think you saved the whole _family_. Bless you.” 

...A _trillion_ times worse.

“Why don't you come with me, l’ll take you down there.” 

Selene started to lead him away, but not before casting one last remorseful look at Sarah - who was now ready to jump underneath a train herself.

* * *

When Nick had returned, he’d formally introduced himself and Jacob’s family to Sarah - ‘since she _was_ Jake’s fiancee and all’ (God...). He’d finally removed his baseball cap (briefly) to run a hand through his light brown hair, then pointed each person out. There was himself - Nick Rye, a very close friend of the family (practically family himself). 

Then there was Jacob’s younger brother Joseph, and his wife Megan (the darker-haired woman who’d hugged her). Ethan, their only child, was the teen boy with them. Nana, aka Jamila, was Megan’s mother. And finally, Faith (the honey-colored blonde woman) was Jacob and Joseph’s younger sister.

Now they were all in the waiting room of the ICU, lounging on small couches while Jacob had been taken away for some routine testing. Nick and Jamila were on one couch, with Megan, Ethan and Faith on another, Joseph preferring to slowly pace the room. 

Sneaking a glance at him every so often, Sarah recognized the same blue eyes on Joseph that she’d seen on Jacob, when she’d peeked up at him during his brief visits to her train booth. There was definitely a resemblance. Faith had blue eyes too, but... they weren’t quite the same. Maybe the boys resembled one parent, while Faith resembled another? Who knew. Ethan took after Megan more than Joseph, with mother and son both sporting brown eyes and espresso hair.

Sarah had been fiddling with a loose string on the end of her sweater sleeve when she happened to look up for a moment and found everyone staring at her again. They had friendly smiles on their faces, but she had a suspicion that she was being scrutinized.

“So-” Jamila leaned forward, raising her eyebrows eagerly. “Tell us how you met Jacob?” 

“Ma, she doesn't wanna talk about that now, okay?” Megan gently scolded.

“Why not? We could all use a nice story,” her mother retorted, unaffected by her daughter’s tone.

“How do you know it was nice?” Nick pointed out.

“Of course it was nice. Why shouldn't it be nice?”

“What about that other girl?” he continued, looking over at Joseph. “What was her name? The one he met in the bar?”

Jamila raised a hand in question, narrowing her eyes at Nick. “What has _that_ got to do with the price of eggs?”

“Holly Pepper,” Joseph drawled slowly. He’d stopped pacing and rolled his eyes at Sarah, giving her an almost mischievous smile.

“ _Joseph._ ” Megan’s voice was a clear warning, while Ethan snickered a little.

“All l know is she was pretty high and mighty for someone named after a _seasoning_ ,” he shrugged innocently.

A quiet snort escaped from Sarah before she could stop it.

“Well, he has a nice girl _now_ ,” his wife countered, giving Sarah a friendly smile. 

She smiled back, albeit awkwardly - still not quite sure how she should be handling this... predicament.

“So-” Ethan spoke up now, sitting up with eagerness. “D-did you steal him from Holly?”

“l bet it was love at first sight,” Jamila cut in. “Right?” She wagged a finger at Sarah. “l have a sense about these things.”

The corner of Sarah’s lips involuntarily curled upwards the further the conversation continued. She had a feeling there was never a truly dull moment with this family. 

“Jamila, let _her_ tell it,” Nick criticized.

The old woman didn’t miss a beat, speaking faster as she went on. “She _is_ telling it- l bet that he picked you up in that fancy car of his?”

“It’s only a _Tacoma_ , Nana,” Ethan scoffed, causing both Joseph and Nick to snicker this time.

Faith leaned on her knees and rested her head in her hands, a dreamy-looking smile on her face. “What was it about him that... you know, that first struck you?”

Well _this_ one she could at least answer. 

...Sort of.

“lt was his, uh, eyes,” Sarah admitted bashfully. “And uh, his... smile. We, uh... we looked at each other, and...” she paused, noticing that all _three_ women were now staring at her with rapt attention, starry-eyed. “And he gave me this... this ‘boyish’ smile, and...” 

Her brain struggled for a moment, not wanting to mislead these people - not any more than she accidentally _had_ , anyway. 

“...l knew that... my life would never be the same,” she finished carefully. 

Not _really_ a lie... right?

“...Funny, Jake smiling atcha usually means he’s about to throw a right hook,” Nick murmured dryly.

“Shh!” the women all hissed, while Jamila elbowed his side playfully.

* * *

Sarah sighed heavily as she began trudging up the flight of stairs to her apartment, completely wiped out from the day’s events.

Hurk Jr. was just coming down as she was going up. He stopped right before they crossed paths and pointed at her. “Tomorrow night, 7 o’clock,” he announced, acting suave (or so he must have thought) as he swaggered past her down the staircase.

“Wh... what?” Sarah turned and stared at him, confused.

He stopped again, swiveled around, and pulled a pair of tickets out of his back pocket, showing them to her.

“l got tickets to the winter carnival in the next town over,” he said, looking proud of himself. “l know a guy.” 

“Uh... uh huh?” she murmured. He didn’t seem to notice her puzzled expression as he continued on his way again.

* * *

“Hi. Um... I bet you’re wondering what I’m doing here in the middle of the night, huh?”

Sarah observed Jacob in his hospital bed for a moment before slowly entering the room. She’d tried to sleep, really she had - but so much had happened in such a short period of time, she’d found herself wide awake and restless instead.

So, at two in the morning, she decided to do what she felt was most logical at the time:

...try to explain herself to an unconscious man.

“Well, l... l thought l should officially introduce myself,” she continued. “My name’s Sarah. Sarah Elizabeth Rook. Um... l think you should know your family thinks we’re engaged. ...Never been engaged before, this is all very sudden for me...”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, guilt starting to creep over her.

“Um... wh-what l _really_ came here to tell you was that, um... l didn’t- l didn’t mean for this to happen. I... I don't know what to do. l mean, if- if you were awake, l wouldn't be in this mess.” Her eyes rolled to the ceiling as she realized what she’d said. “Oh God, not that I'm blaming _you_ , I’m sorry.”

She sat down beside his bed, her back to the rest of the ICU.

“It's just that, you know... when l was a kid, l always imagined what I'd be like, or where I'd be, or what I'd have when l got older. And- you know, it was the normal stuff: l'd have a house, and a family, and things like that. ...Not that l’m _complaining_ or anything, ‘cause, you know- l have a cat. l have an apartment, um... sole possession of the remote control - that's very important. It's just... l never met anybody that l could _laugh_ with, you know?”

She paused, getting a bit lost in thought. In the stillness and silence of the hospital, she suddenly felt more alone than she ever had before.

“D- do you believe in love at first sight?” she continued, then smiled softly at the man in front of her. “Nah, l bet you don't. You’re probably too sensible for that. ...Or have you ever like, seen somebody, and you _knew_ that if only that person _really_ knew you, they would... well, of course, dump the 'perfect model' that they were with, and... and realize that _you_ were the one that they wanted to just grow old with?”

She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to fight the wetness accumulating in her eyes.

“Have you ever fallen in love with somebody you haven't even _talked_ to?” she murmured sadly, scoffing a little at how pathetic she suddenly felt. She sighed again, shaking her head. “...Have you ever been so alone you spend the night confusing a man in a coma?”

Unbeknownst to Sarah, a figure had been watching the two of them from behind the glass wall separating Jacob’s room from the rest of the ICU. They’d come to check on Jacob, but now stared at him and Sarah in silence, mouth slightly ajar. Their mouth closed again after a moment and they looked down at the floor, letting Sarah’s words truly sink in. Pursing their lips in consideration, they glanced up at the duo one more time before turning on their heel and heading away from the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun-dun-DUN. (sings) "Who could it beee now?"


	3. “If you tell them now, you might as well shoot Grandma.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah gets an invitation from the Seed family, meets an old friend of Jacob's, gets advice from Jerome, and makes a decision.

_Unbeknownst to Sarah, a figure had been watching the two of them from behind the glass wall separating Jacob’s room from the rest of the ICU. They’d come to check on Jacob, but now stared at him and Sarah in silence, mouth slightly ajar. Their mouth closed again after a moment and they looked down at the floor, letting Sarah’s words truly sink in. Pursing their lips in consideration, they glanced up at the duo one more time before turning on their heel and heading away from the room._

* * *

A telephone ringing in the distance roused Sarah from her sleep, while she heard a quiet, steady beeping in front of her. She blinked sleepily, realizing she was curled up and leaning on something. She almost jumped when it dawned on her that the ‘something’ was the edge of Jacob’s hospital bed, and she moved back in her chair. 

Her senses quickly returning to her, she scrambled to free her watch from underneath her sweater sleeve. A soft gasp escaped when she saw the time - she'd fallen asleep during the night (early morning?), and it was now after 8am. If she didn’t leave now, she was going to be late for work - and how would she explain _that_ one to Jerry?

Gathering her coat in her arms, she stood up and cast one last look at Jacob. All the craziness that’d happened in the last twenty-four hours... _God_.

“...Bye,” she whispered to him, then turned to leave.

“Sarah!” 

She _did_ jump this time when she nearly bumped into Megan Seed, who’d just entered the room - followed by the rest of the Seed family behind her.

“We didn’t know you were here!” Megan continued with a smile. 

“Were you here all night?” Joseph asked, sounding and looking a little concerned.

“You’re like me, l could always sleep anywhere,” Jamila chuckled.

“And believe me, she _has_ ,” Nick added dryly behind her, snorting when Jamila playfully elbowed him in the gut.

“...Way to go, Nana!” Ethan murmured, looking amused as he, Jamila, Faith, and Nick made their way towards Jacob.

“So, how’s Jacob?” Megan asked, she and Joseph heading to the other side of the hospital bed.

“Oh, well... he’s got more color,” Sarah suggested with a small shrug.

“He has some color. Looks like he has some color,” Joseph repeated hopefully as he and Megan peered down at Jacob. 

“Yeah!” Megan agreed.

Sarah suddenly felt like she was intruding on what should be a private family moment and gently cleared her throat. “Well, l have to go, so-” Megan whispered something to Joseph quickly, the two beginning to turn back her way, “-it was... great to see you guys again.”

“Yeah,” Joseph murmured back to Megan, then stepped forward towards Sarah. “We didn’t get to uh, celebrate Christmas, so... it’d be very nice if you could join us.” 

Megan nodded, grinning at her behind him.

...Oh. ...Oh geez.

“Oh, um-” Sarah froze, eyes widening as she scrambled to think of what to say. “Oh, l-l-l would love to, but l- l can’t.”

“Uncle John’s gonna be there!” Ethan piped up from the other side of the bed, sounding as if this would somehow ‘sweeten the deal’.

“That’s right!” Megan’s face brightened, looking like she’d just remembered. “You haven't met John yet!”

Sarah smiled nervously and shrugged again. “Nnnoo... not yet.” 

“Oh, he’ll be _so_ happy to meet _you!_ ” Faith added, grinning. 

“So, you’ll come tonight?” Joseph queried.

“I-” 

_...Oh God, I can’t do this... I can’t keep doing this to these sweet people..._

“I really shouldn’t because l have to work,” she said, doing her best to appear apologetic. “I can't.” 

“Well, look here-” Joseph pulled a pen and a scrap piece of paper out of his coat pocket and handed them to her. “Put your phone number and address down there. Megan'll call you and talk you into it.” 

His wife nodded enthusiastically.

“O- okay,” Sarah caved, reluctantly writing down her information for him (what else could she do?).

“And here’s another card for when you change your mind,” he added, also handing her a business card with a charming smile (...boy, these Seed men were really quite handsome when they smiled). 

Sarah turned the card over in her hand, taking a quick look at it: ‘Eden’s Gate Church’ it stated, listing the church's address and a second address as well.

“I'm a pastor for a small, local church,” he explained. “I tell my parishioners to drop in if they ever need anything.”

As the Seed family beamed at her, Sarah couldn’t help smiling back. Guilty as she felt about the whole situation, their kindness and positivity was somewhat contagious. “Okay. All right, well... l have it,” she said softly, nodding. “So... bye.” She gave them all a small wave before starting for the doorway.

“Bye dear,” Megan called behind her, and Sarah turned before she left to see the family all give her a wave back. “See you later!”

* * *

“Ma'am? Excuse me ma'am-”

Sarah had been waiting at the elevator, the doors sliding open with a _ding_ , when a dark-haired young man - one of the hospital workers - hurried up to her, holding a box. The man held the box out to her, as if expecting her to take it.

“What?” Sarah blinked at him, confused, and stepped aside as another man exited the elevator. “What is this?” 

“I'm sorry, Mrs. Seed,” the hospital worker said. “These are your husband's things.”

Sarah visibly bristled, getting a little worn out with this charade - both mentally and emotionally.

“ _Look_ -” she eyed the man’s name tag for a second. “-Pratt, he's not my _husband!_ ” She stomped her foot in frustration.

“Um... I'm... sorry, your... _fiance_ ,” he corrected, clearly a bit confused with her reaction. He dropped the box into her arms and hurried off.

Sarah’s eyes rolled to the ceiling as the elevator doors slid open again with another _ding_. She was actually looking _forward_ to work.

When she started heading into the elevator, the man who’d stepped out of it before suddenly stopped the doors from closing.

“Uh- you’re Jacob's fiancee?” he asked her.

Sarah just stared at his scruffy, bearded face for a moment, then sighed. “...Okay.” 

“Eli Palmer,” he introduced himself. "I'm an old pal of his, we go way back.”

“Uh huh,” she muttered, edging a little closer to the inside of the elevator. “...l have to go now.” 

“Oh, he's a great guy," Eli continued, not missing a beat. "He’s had a tough year. What, with the accident last month and all.”

Another sigh came from Sarah when she had to stop the doors from closing again. She was beginning to lose her patience. She raised an eyebrow at the man. “Accident?”

“Well- of course it was an accident. l mean, it wasn’t _my_ -" 

His eyes narrowed and he suddenly looked upset. 

"Did he tell you that it was _my_ fault??" He held up his hands defensively. "We were playing basketball, all right? I had a pencil in my pocket. People _do_ carry them around sometimes!”

“Okay...”

One of Eli's hands flew up into his hair and he huffed, clearly agitated now. “Jesus, what's he telling people...”

“lt's... gonna be okay...” Sarah assured him uncomfortably, grimacing when he looked away from her for a moment. She stepped back out of the elevator, figuring this was going to take more than another minute or two.

* * *

“So what’s the big deal?” 

“Wh- what’s the big _deal??_ Jerry, they think l'm their future in-law!”

Sarah sighed and took a quick sip of her Coke, shaking her head. She and Jerome were inside the Spread Eagle again, getting a quick drink before they went home for the evening. She'd shared her whole ordeal with him, and he’d listened silently until now. His lack of concern for her situation left her momentarily baffled. 

“And the grandmother, she’s got this heart thing,” she continued, waving a hand around anxiously. “And if l tell her the truth, she's gonna have a heart attack, and she’s gonna _die_ , and it’s gonna be on _my_ head.”

“Well then, go along with it,” Jerome shrugged. “And when Jacob comes out of the coma, the family'll be so happy they won’t _care_ that you lied to them.” 

The ponytailed, surly bartender from the other night had been wiping down the bartop nearby while they were talking. He suddenly peeked up at Jerome, and then at Sarah curiously. He probably figured that whatever was going on wasn't worth his time, since he shook his head and continued cleaning.

“They'll probably even _thank_ you for it,” Jerome finished.

“Okay. And what if he _doesn't_ come out of his coma?” Sarah asked him.

“Well, then who’s to know?”

“Oh, l don't know, _God_...” Sarah moaned and put her head in her hands.

“Ah, look, Sarah - when my mother found out l was getting married to my wife, her intestines _exploded_.”

Sarah looked back up at him again, horrified. 

“Now, you tell them _now_ ,” he went on, “heh - you might as well _shoot_ Grandma.”

* * *

“Come on, Cheeseburger.”

Sarah sat down with her TV dinner, tapping her fingers against the cat bowl on the opposite side of her small kitchen table.

“Pss pss pss,” she called, trying to entice the chubby brown cat to come out of hiding. As her head swiveled around to look for her pet, she caught sight of the small card she'd stuck on her fridge - the one that Joseph had given her earlier with the Seeds' home address on it. She pursed her lips and looked down at her pathetic-looking meal, considering her options.

It was wrong... right? She shouldn't go. It was _crazy_. She was probably crazy for even _considering_ it. The Seeds were a kind, decent, loving family. They thought she was someone that she _wasn't_ . Even though Megan had called her earlier - as promised - and tried to talk her into coming, she still had reservations about it. There were probably about a hundred reasons for her _not_ to go.

...And yet...

Almost no one had been that nice to her in a long time. They were so charming, so inviting... barely knowing anything about her, yet considering her a member of their family and persuading her to come for dinner - _Christmas_ dinner - without a second thought. They couldn't celebrate with Jacob, but they still wanted _her_ to be there to share in their festivities.

She hadn't felt the warmth, joy, or love of family in so long. 

...Maybe...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to have more of this fic written (such as John's intro, which is coming very, very soon - next chapter, I PROMISE!), but my new laptop (barely a month old) decided to stop recognizing our internet, and my husband needs our desktop computer during the day for work - so I either had to type as much as I could in the little time I had at night, or try to type on my tablet (which I hate doing, lol). I should be getting a replacement laptop in a few days, thank goodness.
> 
> I'm SO enjoying people's kudos and comments, thank you so much!!! I'm really enjoying writing this fic & hope to have more done ASAP!


	4. I'll be home for Christmas...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah experiences the family Christmas of her dreams, and finally gets to meet the mysterious third Seed brother.

_Almost no one had been that nice to her in a long time. They were so charming, so inviting... barely knowing anything about her, yet considering her a member of their family and persuading her to come for dinner - Christmas dinner - without a second thought. They couldn’t celebrate with Jacob, but they still wanted her to be there to share in their festivities._

_She hadn’t felt the warmth, joy, or love of family in so long._

_...Maybe..._

* * *

The further down the plowed dirt driveway Sarah drove, the more nervous she became. When the Seeds’ house itself came into full view… her jaw almost fell through the floor of her car.

It couldn’t be. Was she really at the right place?? This huge house... _this_ was where the Seed family lived??

The whole area looked like something out of a magazine. The bushes and trees around the house had been strung with multicolored Christmas lights (along with the house’s banisters and railings), which shone beautifully in the night. The small glow of the rainbow bulbs contrasted perfectly against the diamond-like snow, adding to the overall aesthetic. 

To the right of the impressive log home was a massive three-car garage that was pretty much the size of _another_ house, not to mention a large amount of surrounding land covered with trees - and what she suspected was a small airplane runway on the rightmost side of the property (well... it _was_ rural Montana, after all. Maybe that wasn’t as unusual here?). 

She parked her car in front of one of the garage doors and exited it with the poinsettia plant she’d brought for the Seeds, taking in her surroundings with a childlike wonder. It was like... some kind of Christmas fantasy. The chalet-style house was so picturesque, it almost made her heart ache. She smiled and made her way to the stone steps leading to their front door, but stopped when she was a few feet away from it - her smile fading as she started to second-guess her actions.

“...What am I doing?” she murmured to herself. Taking a step back, she considered turning around, getting back in her car, and just driving away when another voice suddenly startled her.

“Sarah!” 

She jumped and turned her head to see Nick approaching her and the front door, a small bundle of logs and kindling under one arm.

“Hi Nick, hi,” she greeted, catching her breath from being a little started.

“You made it, huh?” he grinned. “That’s great. Now you can meet _my_ family too. They’re already inside - the missus and my daughter, Carmina. She’s about Ethan’s age. They’ve been friends pretty much since they were babies.”

He waved his free arm towards the steps leading up to the Seeds’ front door.

“Come on, keep me company for a while. I wanted to get a breath of fresh air and offered to get a little more wood for the fire. Here, sit down.”

Sarah sat on the top step next to him, putting her plant down on her other side.

“You know... Christmas is a very important time of year for the Seed family,” Nick began when they were settled. His eyes darted to the front door behind him for a moment - as if making sure no one was coming - and then back to Sarah. He then leaned in closer, his voice lowering. “...Do me a favor, and keep this under your hat - don’t tell them I told you this, okay?”

Sarah nodded, wondering just what she was about to hear. “I promise.”

“Well... the Seed brothers had a hard life growin’ up. I won’t go into a lot of details, but I’ll just say that they didn’t come from a loving home. All the three of them really had was each other. Jacob... well, he was the oldest, so he got the worst of it. It really hardened him up some. He was rebellious, quick to anger. Sometimes got in trouble because of it. Even though Joseph was the middle child, he was really like the father of the trio - he had to work real hard to keep them together as much as he could. It’s one of the reasons why he became a pastor - said that ‘God’s love and grace was what got him through all those tough times’.”

Nick paused to chuckle slightly, but it seemed bittersweet.

“Faith - well, she wasn’t _born_ a Seed. She had a rough life herself and was in bad shape when she met Joseph. He was already a pastor at Eden’s Gate, and knew when he saw her that she really needed help. She’d also come from a broken home, and he knew what that was like. His younger brother John had become a real good lawyer, so - longer story short - a little finagling, and Faith officially became a part of the family. It was actually around Christmastime many years ago when it was finalized.”

He paused again to smile thoughtfully, his gaze becoming unfocused as if reminiscing for a moment.

“No matter what’s happened in their lives, the Seeds have always had each other,” he said. “And all of them have helped my family and I through some rough times ourselves. Christmas was always a time we’d gather together and remember how blessed we all are to have each other in our lives.”

“Well, you’re lucky,” Sarah said. “It's really important to have family around this time of year.”

Nick met her gaze again.

“Are you, uh- l mean... are your parents... with you?” he asked cautiously.

Sarah smiled sadly and shook her head.

“No, no. My mom died when l was really young, and uh... a couple of years ago, my dad got sick. We moved from Connecticut to Montana so he could participate in a study at a research hospital.”

“ ‘Research’,” Nick commented. “A medical term for ‘very expensive’, huh?”

“Yeah, exactly. I’d gotten my degree, but couldn’t continue my education - so I started working at the train station. About a year ago, my dad decided he’d ‘had enough research’ and... he passed away.” 

She drew a heavy breath, trying not to dwell on how challenging it’d been for her at times. She may have been an only child, but she was grateful that she’d at least had her dad’s love.

Nick winced and gave her a light pat on the shoulder with his free hand.

“When Jacob and Joseph had a bit of a disagreement some months back, it was difficult for everyone,” he said. “To lose someone important to you - to _any_ degree, even if they’re not _truly_ gone - especially around this time of year... well, I know how hard that can be.” 

His mouth hung open for a moment, and he appeared to be considering his next words carefully.

“Sarah, the Seeds... they mean more to me than anything. They might as _well_ be my own family.” His mouth became a firm line. “...I'd never let anyone hurt them.”

Sarah considered this for a moment, then nodded. “...Neither would l,” she replied, meaning her words with all sincerity.

Nick was silent for a few seconds, then smiled at her gently. “...l believe you wouldn’t.”

“Sarah? You came!” Megan suddenly appeared behind them, leaning out the front door. “ _There_ you are, Nick. Oh, this is great! Come on in you two, it's freezin’ out here. My mom Jamila made her eggnog!”

“Word to the wise,” Nick drawled. “Drink _soda_.” 

“Okay,” Sarah laughed softly, grabbing her poinsettia as the two of them stood up and turned to the front door.

Megan stepped back into the entryway to let them inside and called through a large doorway off to the left. “Joe, Mom, look who’s here! Sarah came!”

“Sarah!” Faith came racing from seemingly out of nowhere, grinning like a cheshire cat. She threw her arms around Sarah while the rest of the Seeds arrived quickly to greet her, all of their expressions bright and excited. Sarah hugged her back and couldn’t have stopped the growing smile on her face, even if she’d wanted to.

“Come on in! It's cold out there.” Joseph said. He gently took the poinsettia plant from her hands and nodded his thanks.

“We've got the most wonderful dinner!” Jamila added.

The mouthwatering scents of turkey, spiced fruit, and dessert enticed her senses. “It smells so good,” Sarah said once Faith released her. The aroma of pine and woodsmoke also caught her attention. She glanced through the left door frame to view what she could of the house’s interior and-

...If she’d thought the _outside_ of the house was ‘picturesque’, the _inside_ certainly put it to shame. 

Time seemed to stand still as her eyes roamed over all the Christmas decorations that’d been meticulously placed and hung around the large, open sitting room - clearly the main attraction of the house. Garlands of pine and holly had been wrapped around the wooden beams suspended from the ceiling. A wide, rectangular-cut stone fireplace was in the center of the room. Stretched across its wooden mantels lay more multicolored lighted pine garlands, with a couple large illuminated wreaths hung above them. All the while, a crackling fire cast a warm glow over the wooden floor of the living and dining areas on either side of it.

As visually appealing as the view was, it almost paled in comparison to the Christmas tree itself - set in the corner of the room across from the dining table. Silver and gold tinsel encircled the tree, the multicolored lights that covered every branch and bough reflecting off of its shiny, metallic edges. What space wasn’t already occupied by tinsel or lights was filled with ornaments of every kind imaginable - some looking homemade, some new, some fancy, some appearing rustic and antiqued. The gold star resting atop the tree perfected the scene, and one could hear the sound of classic Christmas carols playing over a radio hidden somewhere within the room.

“Oh my God,” Sarah whispered, completely in shock and awe of the view before her. It was so exquisite, it almost brought a tear to her eye “...Am I dreaming?”

“I'll take _that_ as a compliment!” Faith remarked cheerfully behind her, causing the rest of the Seed family to laugh.

Sarah’s face began heating up, not realizing she had spoken aloud or even stepped into the door frame a little more to get a better view. She turned to the young woman, staring at her with wonder.

“Faith, this is... _you_ did all this?” she asked, wide-eyed and nearly at a loss for words.

“Hey, she had _some_ help!” Ethan cut in, crossing his arms in mock indignation but also smiling.

Faith pursed her lips at him. “You watched from the couch until I threw a pillow at you and bribed you with cookies. And even _then_ , you made Carmina do a lot of the work until _she_ threw a pillow at you.”

More laughter from the family.

* * *

“That’s Jacob on the left, then John, then Joseph on the right.”

Sarah was sitting on the couch facing the fireplace, with Ethan on one side of her and Faith on the other. 

Faith had previously dug out an old family scrapbook and insisted on showing it to Sarah, ‘since Jacob wasn’t here to prevent her from embarrassing him’, which had made Sarah giggle a little. She’d pointed to an old photo of the brothers, and indicated which was which.

“Aww, they’re so cute!” Sarah grinned. Her smile flickered for a moment, remembering how Nick had confided in her about the brothers’ sad and difficult past. Their expressions in the picture were somewhat serious (John, the youngest brother, couldn’t have been older than eight or so at that moment), and it made her wonder what terrible burdens they’d been carrying when the photograph had been taken.

She didn’t have time to dwell on it for very long, because Faith turned the page to reveal a small newspaper article with a headline that read ‘Local Boy Saves Squirrels’. A black and white picture of a young Jacob had been included in the article.

“Oh yeah, the squirrels,” Ethan commented. “I remember Dad telling me that story.”

Faith turned the page again and gushed at a photo that looked fairly more recent - one that showed two smiling young children, a boy and a girl, standing outside on a patch of grass. The girl was holding up an ice cream cone triumphantly, her other arm around the boy’s shoulders in a show of affection, while the boy presented an empty cone, his smile a little more awkward.

“Oh my God, I remember that-”

Carmina, Nick’s teen daughter, suddenly swung around the side of the couch and landed on Ethan’s lap. Ethan grunted with a quiet ' _oof_ ’, his face quickly reddening, but Carmina was either oblivious or ignored him. She leaned over the book to better examine the photo.

“Some jerk kid had shoved me out of his way after we’d just bought some ice cream from a truck, and made my scoop fall on the ground,” she explained. “I'd started to cry and Ethan didn’t want me to be sad, so he pushed his ice cream onto my bare cone.”

“Ohhh, that is so cute!” Sarah chuckled.

“Yeah, well... I didn’t want to listen to her complain all day about it,” Ethan mumbled, trying to look indifferent.

Carmina rolled her eyes and ruffled his hair, clearly not buying it. “Okay, whatever you say ‘Mr. Tough Guy’,” she teased. “Is that why you showed up at my house later that day with another cone?” While Sarah and Faith both ‘ _aww_ ’ed fondly, she threw her arms around Ethan and gave him a playful nuzzle. 

A beet-red Ethan grunted again. “The abuse I put up with from my best friend,” he muttered.

“You’re not fooling anyone,” Faith sang sweetly, the women all laughing as Ethan leaned over to playfully whap her on the arm.

“Eggnog everyone!” Nick’s wife Kim called, entering the room carrying a small tray with several glasses. Carmina may have inherited Nick’s brown hair and blue eyes, but it was clearly her mother that she more closely resembled. “Jamila, where are you? We’re serving your eggnog.”

Megan followed behind her, carrying a large pitcher of said eggnog.

“I'm getting my camera,” Jamila replied, emerging from the staircase on the other end of the room while holding a small camera in one hand. She grinned and waved an arm at everyone. “Come on, everybody. Get close to the tree!” 

“Oh, Christmas pictures!” Faith chirped excitedly. She reached forward to place the scrapbook on the table in front of the couch, then stood up, turning her head towards Sarah and the others. “Sarah, come on!”

Sarah’s expression quickly fell. “Oh... l- l don't... l-”

“Come on, Sarah!” Carmina grinned as she leapt off of Ethan’s lap and gently hooked one arm under Sarah’s arm, the other under Ethan's, then tugged them both up and off the couch.

“Trust me, don’t try to argue with her,” Ethan murmured under his breath, shooting Sarah a sympathetic look. “You won't win.” 

“Damn straight,” Carmina retorted, flinching when Nick’s voice suddenly boomed from several feet away.

“What was that _,_ _young lady?"_

Carmina whirled around to face her father, who was already standing over by the Christmas tree with Joseph.

“Darn tootin', Daddy!” she chirped innocently, shooting her father a 1000-watt smile.

“ _Hmm,_ ” Nick hummed with narrowed eyes, not fooled for a second.

“She is definitely _your_ daughter,” Kim cracked dryly.

The other adults laughed while Carmina half-led, half-dragged Sarah over to the Christmas tree.

Sarah tried to politely protest, but it fell upon deaf ears as she was herded in with everyone there (minus Jamila, of course). Since she couldn’t get out of it, she at least did her best to try not to look too uncomfortable while they all crowded together.

“Watch the birdie!” Jamila called out, the camera’s bright flash going off as she pressed the shutter button. 

“Oh Ma, take it again. l think I blinked,” Meghan said.

“Well, you're lucky. I think I’m blind now,” Joseph quipped.

* * *

Kim was about to pour herself another glass of wine, but stopped and gestured in an offer to top off Jamila’s wine glass for her first. She stopped when Jamila shook her head. 

“l don’t drink anymore,” the grandmother said.

“Oh?” Kim raised an eyebrow.

“...l don’t drink any _less_ , either,” Jamila grinned wickedly, raising her glass towards Kim.

Everyone laughed as Megan began handing out the presents that had previously been laid underneath the tree.

Sarah finally took a sip of Jamila’s eggnog from the glass she’d been handed earlier, then froze as she tried hard not to make a sour face. Nick wasn’t kidding - she’d have been better off sticking with soda. She forced herself to swallow it with a tiny grimace, not wanting to appear rude. She was grateful that the others were too busy opening presents to notice her discomfort.

Ethan had grabbed a small present at some point and moved to sit next to Carmina, her parents sitting on her other side.

“Uh... here,” he said, handing her the gift, a shy smile on his face. “This is... ‘part one’ of your present.”

She grinned and raised an eyebrow at him curiously as she tore off the paper and opened the gift box. Her smile immediately vanished, and she stared down at what was inside for several seconds. 

“Oh my God,” she murmured, clearly touched. “Ethan... it looks just like....” She reached into the box and held up a small silver necklace with a seaplane charm on it. “My dad’s plane! I love it!” she said, beaming at him.

Ethan blushed again and shrugged bashfully. “I had a little help,” he admitted. “Like I said, that’s only ‘part one’.”

Carmina turned to show her parents the necklace, then blinked to see them smiling and looking unsurprised - Nick even looking... excited?

“Do you wanna guess what ‘part two’ is?” Nick asked her, waggling his eyebrows at her expectantly.

Carmina’s jaw dropped open, her eyes widening.

“...No!” she exclaimed. “NO. WAY!!! _You’re finally gonna teach me?!?!_ ”

The Seeds all laughed as Carmina tackled her father in a huge hug, laughing and shrieking with glee.

“Don't thank me,” Kim said dryly, but grinning. “If it was up to _me_ , I wouldn’t let you fly until you were thirty.”

“If you crash into the church roof, we’re going to have to have some stern words,” Joseph joked, trying to look serious but failing miserably.

“Aw, Joe - with _me_ as her teacher, she can’t possibly fail!” Nick laughed.

“Just don’t let _John_ hear you say that,” Megan smirked. “We’d never hear the end of it.”

In the midst of all the laughter and euphoria, Sarah inhaled deeply, truly taking in the scene before her. She’d never had a family like this, never been a part of something so... so _warm_ , so loving. She found herself feeling almost jealous of Jacob - having a family like this, and letting some stupid argument distance himself from such a blessing.

She caught Nick's eye and he winked at her, a knowing gleam in his eye. She smiled back, grateful that she got to be a part of all this - if only for a _little_ while.

As more presents were passed around, Kim was handed one and squinted as she read the tag. “To the Rye family - Merry Christmas, from Steve Byers.” She transferred the package over to Nick, who wrinkled his brow at it.

“...Who the hell’s ‘Steve Byers’?” he asked.

“Steve Byers. You remember,” Kim replied. “He and his wife Jennifer moved to Canada some months back? They have a couple kids?”

Sarah’s mind had started to wander a little when Faith surprised her by holding a gift out to her as well.

“ ‘To Sarah, from Santa!’ “ Faith read on the gift's tag. She winked at Sarah as well before moving on to help distribute more of the gifts to the family.

“Is he the one that used to hang out at the ‘8-Bit Pizza Bar’?” Nick questioned.

“No, that was Travis. Travis Vermulum,” Kim responded. “Similar, but different guy.”

Sarah stared at the gift in her hands, her mouth dropping open a little. They’d bought _her_ something too? Oh...

Her eyes rose to view everyone in the room again, watching them as they opened their gifts with delight and simply enjoyed each other’s company. Despite the guilt that was slightly creeping in on her again, she smiled softly. The decorations, the ‘fantasy home’, the atmosphere, the cheer and laughter... the _love_ ... she knew it couldn’t be this way forever, that she’d have to reveal the truth to the family _sometime_...

...but... at least she’d be able to hold the memory of _this_ Christmas deep in her heart. It truly was the best one she'd ever had.

* * *

In Jacob Seed's apartment, the phone rang a few times before the answering machine on his small side table began to beep, the message light starting to flash.

_“This is Jacob. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you.” BEEP_.

“Hi, it’s Holly. Ah, Alberta is absolutely gorgeous, but... I'm cutting my trip short because I've been doing a lot of thinking, and... what the heck? l _will_ marry you!”

* * *

Much later that night, another car pulled up beside Sarah’s outside the Seed family home. The driver got out and stared at her car for a moment, then headed inside the house. Once the front door was shut, another head popped out from around the corner to see who the newcomer was.

“...Uncle John!” a young voice called out softly, its owner rushing down the hallway towards him and giving him a big hug. “Hey!”

“Ethan, hey,” John replied, hugging his nephew back.

“Shh!” Ethan gestured to the couch in the living area. The outline of a person was seen laying down on it in the low light, covered by a blanket. The figure shifted positions, now facing the back of the couch. 

“Don't wake Sarah,” Ethan told his uncle.

John blinked, squinting at the couch. “Wh- ...who’s Sarah?” he asked. 

“Sarah’s Uncle Jake’s fiancée,” the teen replied.

John now leaned against the doorframe, staring intently at the body on the couch.

“What? ...No, that’s not Jacob’s fiancée.”

Sarah had started to stir when the man had first walked in. Upon hearing Ethan mention her name, she felt like her waking brain was trying to alert her to something - but she hadn’t recovered enough to figure out just what yet. When she heard the doubt in John Seed’s voice, however, her eyes shot open and her body immediately stiffened.

“You haven’t met her?” Ethan asked.

“...No...” 

Sarah could practically feel the youngest Seed brother's eyes burning holes into the side of her head.

“Well she's great. You’re gonna love her!” Ethan assured him.

“...You know what, kid... maybe I'll stay the night.”

Ohhh God. That didn’t sound good. Sarah winced, glad the two of them couldn't see her face.

“Don’t eat my cereal in the morning,” Ethan scolded John, sounding a little fainter. 

“Oh, so it's Ethan’s special cereal?”

“The last time you took the toy surprise, remember?”

The creaking of wood let her know that the two of them were heading upstairs, and she let out a quiet breath she hadn’t realized she'd been holding. If she hadn’t been so afraid to move further, she might have seen John leaning to take one last look at her before following his nephew.

* * *

Sarah rushed to gather her things the next morning, moving as quickly and as quietly as she could. She didn’t want to wake anyone - one man in _particular_ now - and had made sure she got up early to try and sneak out before anyone was the wiser.

She folded the blanket the family had supplied her with last night and laid it on the couch (they’d insisted she stay overnight, so she wouldn’t have to drive home so late), then tiptoed towards the front door, coat slung over one arm. She’d almost made it - her hand outstretched to the doorknob - when a gentle throat clearing nearly made her jump out of her skin.

“Good morning,” a masculine voice said behind her.

“Oh!” She gasped and whirled around, trying to calm her racing pulse as she looked up at the man sitting on the stairs, watching her calmly while holding a coffee mug. “Oh- you scared me,” she sighed heavily.

“Sorry,” the man murmured, not appearing the _least_ bit apologetic. He had the same blue eyes, similar facial features as his older brothers, brown hair like Joseph's. The family resemblance was definitely there.

“Um... good morning John,” she said awkwardly.

John's brow furrowed at her.

“...l guess l don't remember meeting you,” he replied coolly.

“Well it’s probably because we've never met,” she retorted, doing her best to offer him a friendly smile (though she was sure she looked like the kid with her hand caught in the cookie jar instead).

“That might have something to do with it,” John stated, taking a sip from his mug. His eyes never blinked as he continued to stare at her.

There was an awkward pause for a couple seconds before Sarah’s brain finally seemed to kick into place.

_Abort. Abort! ABORT!_

“Um... l have to go,” she mumbled. She gestured clumsily to the door. “I'm really- I'm really late ‘cause l... have to go. But um, l- it was nice to meet you, John. So... good-bye.”

She turned and opened the door, desperate to leave but struggling to appear calm and collected.

“Sarah.” John stood up and descended the stairs, halting when he reached the bottom.

_Oh God. Here we go._

“Okay, look, l-” She immediately turned and came back through the door frame, her guilt taking over her actions. She squeezed her eyes shut, one of her hands instinctively flying to her temple. “l know that l-”

“Hey.”

John's firm tone made her stop short. She dropped her hand and opened her eyes, looking up at him again “...Hmm?”

“...Welcome to the family.” He spoke matter-of-factly, his expression a well-guarded mask.

“Oh... thank you,” she replied. She smiled nervously again, the butterflies in her stomach all colliding into each other in a frenzy.

_Get the hell OUT._

“Bye,” she muttered, making her hasty exit again before she could say or do anything (else) stupid. She didn't dare look back at the door, for fear that a pair of shrewd blue eyes would be following her the entire walk back to her car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) No, you don't get to find out what the Seeds/'Santa' got Sarah for 'Christmas' (you don't find out what it is in the actual movie, either). ...It's inconsequential to the story, I promise. ...Consider it something SMALL, like... I dunno, a scarf or something, LOL.
> 
> 2) There is definitely a 'Far Cry 5' game-related reference in this chapter (*two*, technically), and I am NOT referring to the mention of Nick's plane. Bonus points if you catch it!
> 
> 3) For the curious: here's a pic of the necklace that Ethan bought for Carmina:  
> https://www.pinterest.com/pin/639792690803235208/
> 
> 4) Fic-related Pinterest board, also for the curious:  
> https://www.pinterest.com/sprocket135/far-cry-5-no-cult-au-i-should-tell-you/


	5. "If she wanted to prove it... she'd prove it."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John starts turning the screws on this so-called fiancée of Jacob's, and makes a misplaced accusation. To save face, Sarah is forced to reveal a rather intimate detail about Jake to his family.

_“...Welcome to the family.” He spoke matter-of-factly, his expression a well-guarded mask._

_“Oh... thank you,” she replied. She smiled nervously again, the butterflies in her stomach all colliding into each other in a frenzy._

_Get the hell OUT._

_“Bye,” she muttered, making her hasty exit again before she could say or do anything (else) stupid. She didn’t dare look back at the door, for fear that a pair of shrewd blue eyes would be following her the entire walk back to her car._

* * *

At Eden’s Gate church, Joseph raised his hands from the podium he stood behind and addressed the congregation.

“We pray that the Lord’s healing presence will be felt by those who are sick, and by their families - especially Michael Goreki, Jacob Seed, Mary Doherty, and Peter Callahan. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.”

“So... who’s this ‘Sarah’?” John murmured in a hushed volume, leaning his head to quietly address Faith sitting next to him in the pew.

“She’s Jake’s fiancée,” Faith mumbled back, not taking her eyes off of Joseph, who continued with the church service.

“Hmm.” John made a slight face, wrinkling his forehead. “...You’d think if Jacob were getting married, he would’ve shouted it from the rooftops.”

“You know Jake doesn’t like heights,” Faith replied dryly, still staring straight ahead. 

“So why did she sneak out this morning?” 

“She has a job.”

“l liked it better when services were said in Latin,” Jamila muttered, sitting further down the pew next to Megan (on the other side of Faith). “It’s nicer when you don't know what they’re saying.”

Megan shot her mother a look out of the corner of her eye.

“Ma...”

Faith finally turned her head to glance at John.

“Did you get to talk to Joseph about... you know, the whole ‘lawyer thing’?” she whispered.

John shook his head, his jaw tensing as he watched his older brother speak. “No... not yet.”

Faith appeared sympathetic. “You know you’ll have to talk about it soon...”

“I know,” he sighed softly.

Megan’s eyes darted over to the two of them. “Whatever it is, you guys can talk about it _later_ , okay?” she advised, raising an eyebrow.

“Talk about it _now_.” Ethan, sitting on John’s right, gave his uncle a small smirk. “He can’t kill you in church - especially during a service.”

Joseph - who’d been delivering his sermon during all this - paused and cleared his throat gently. While he didn’t address them outright, his eyes moved to the pew his family was sitting in for a brief moment and hovered before he looked back out at the other parishioners again and continued with what he was saying. To his family that knew him better than anyone, it was enough of a message.

* * *

Sarah flopped down onto her bed with a sigh, holding the box of Jacob’s belongings that’d been given to her at the hospital. She gently tipped it upside down, its contents spilling onto the mattress. Keys, wallet, sunglasses in a small case, a small brown paper bag.

She opened the wallet first, taking a peek at the photos in the clear sleeves inside. One of him and his siblings in front of Joseph’s house, one of a younger Ethan, Megan and Joseph in front of a Christmas tree. They all looked so happy in the pictures, it made Sarah smile softly herself. 

Putting down the wallet, she examined the brown paper bag now, one eyebrow arching curiously at it. A small can tumbled out of it, and she lifted it up to see what it was.

...Cat food? ...Why would Jacob have a can of-

Sarah’s eyes widened as it dawned on her. Letting out a small cry, she flew off of her bed and raced to find her shoes. She had to get to his apartment, _now_. 

* * *

Leaving her building, she headed down the icy sidewalk. Jacob’s apartment, coincidentally, actually wasn’t too far from her _own_ address - so given the mild weather, she could actually walk instead of having to take her car.

She almost jumped when she spotted Hurk Jr out front by his parked car - a beat-up Hummer that had clearly seen better days. He held a hammer in one hand and what looked like a manual in the other. He was luckily distracted by whatever he was attempting to do to his rusty vehicle - but all the same she blocked her face with one arm, not wanting to be seen (she really wasn’t in the mood to spurn his advances right now). Once she felt she was a safe distance away, she jogged down the rest of the sidewalk.

Hurk Jr, meanwhile, moved around to the back of his car and removed a plastic container from inside. He didn’t notice the shiny Mercedes SUV that pulled up behind him, nor the man that exited the vehicle - one John Seed, in fact. 

John looked up at the apartment building through his blue-tinted sunglasses for a few seconds before turning his attention to Hurk. 

“Excuse me - do you live here?” he asked, raising the glasses up and resting them on top of his head.

“Live here?” Hurk scoffed and puffed out his chest, resting the container on top of his car. “Buddy, l _own_ this place.”

“Oh... great,” John replied, eyeing the man up and down. “Well, then you would know the woman that lives in unit #5.”

“Know her? I’m _datin'_ her!” Hurk boasted, looking very proud of himself.

John’s mouth fell open a little, at a loss for words.

* * *

There were a couple doormen at the front desk of Jacob's apartment building, but they were currently occupied with a flustered-looking woman and her children - leaving Sarah the perfect opportunity to slip past them and through the inner door leading up to the apartments. 

Once she reached Jacob’s, she used his key to get in. Stepping inside further, she took a few seconds to peruse the home of the man she’d long admired from afar (after all, one could tell a lot about a person from the way they kept their home).

It was somewhat small, and seemed to contain only the bare essentials. Minimalistic detail and muted colors stared right back at her.

“Hmm. Very... simple,” she murmured to herself, resting one hand on her hip.

All right. To business.

“Kitty?” she called out, pulling the paper bag from Jacob’s things out of her coat pocket. “Here kitty kitty! Come on out sweetie, mealtime.”

She started walking around the apartment and peeked in the different doorways, hopeful that she’d get lucky and spot the animal somewhere.

Meanwhile, the apartment door opened once more and John stepped in, pausing when he heard Sarah’s voice.

“Kitty kitty kitty?” Sarah shook the paper bag, its contents rustling around. Finding the kitchen, she walked in and removed the small tin of cat food from the bag. Thank God it had a pull tab on it - she didn’t want to have to go through all his drawers looking for a can opener. Pulling the top off and setting the can down on the counter, her head swiveled around. If this cat was anything like her own chubby Cheeseburger, it’d come running the moment it smelled the food - _especially_ if it hadn’t been fed in a few days.

“Kitty?” she tried again, crooning sweetly. “Come here. Cooome heeere. Come on, honey!” 

She turned and pushed the swinging door on the other side of the kitchen - not knowing that John had approached it from the opposite side. 

The door promptly smashed right into his face, and he stepped back with a loud grunt of pain and surprise.

“Where are y- OH!” Sarah gasped when the door collided with someone on the other side, her hand covering her mouth in shock. She just barely got a glimpse of John’s head jerking away from it when it swung shut again.

Cringing, she slowly and cautiously pushed the door open again, peeking around it to see John glaring at her.

“Oh... I’m- I’m _so_ sorry,” she stammered as he reached out and pulled the door open fully.

“...Nice shot,” he muttered tersely.

“Oh, um-” She flailed her hands for a second, trying to think while John rubbed his forehead. “I’ll get you some ice.” She turned and pulled the freezer door open, eyes darting around the contents until she spotted a tray in the back. “I’m sorry. l wasn't expecting anybody.” She grabbed a few cubes in her hands without thinking, handing them clumsily to John.

“Hey, how’d you get in here?” he asked, fumbling with the slippery ice.

Sarah bent to get a couple cubes he dropped, then straightened up, handing them to him again. “Uh... key?” she blurted, grateful for once that she’d been handed Jacob’s belongings at the hospital.

“Key?” He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you stay here a lot, huh?”

 _‘Uhh... that’s kind of none of your business,'_ she wanted to retort, feeling a lick of irritation - until she quickly remembered who she was speaking to. Whether she liked it or not (and she didn’t), he _did_ have reason to be wary of a woman he’d only just heard of that was (supposedly) marrying his brother.

“Oh, you know... feed the cat,” she explained.

Now John narrowed his eyes at her. “Jacob doesn't _have_ a cat.”

_Uhhh..._

Panic streaked through her for a second, but the two were interrupted by a quiet _meow_ that emanated from the floor. They both looked down to see a small orange head poke out from around the corner. The tiger cat stepped forward, clearly looking for the tuna that Sarah had opened earlier.

Sarah might have laughed at John’s brief bewildered expression, had she not almost sighed heavily in relief herself.

“Ohh! Hello, honey!” she cooed, bending over to gently pick up the feline. She snuck a quick peek at the collar around its neck. “Peaches!” she stated, as if she’d known its name all along and was simply greeting it. “Hello, Peaches! You must be so hungry!”

She placed ‘Peaches’ onto the kitchen counter next to the can of food, and the kitty wasted no time in helping itself to the meal. It had taken no more than two bites when Jacob’s phone began to ring.

John dumped his handful of melting ice into the kitchen sink, then stared at her expectantly. “...Are you going to get that?”

Sarah’s eyes darted over to the phone, but she shrugged and tried to look casual. “Oh uh- no, I’m- I’m gonna let the machine get it.”

He pressed his lips together, his mouth forming a tight, thin line. He then glided over to the phone, not breaking eye contact with her until he walked past.

The instant she was sure she was out of his view, Sarah couldn’t resist rolling her eyes. Justified or not, Jacob’s brother was _really_ starting to aggravate her.

“Hello?” she heard John say. She didn’t dare turn around, anxious about who’d be calling Jacob’s apartment right now. When John didn’t speak for a few seconds though, the temptation to peek over at him proved to be too great.

He stood with the phone receiver away from his ear, as if processing something, then slowly turned towards her - his expression blank, and yet, still somewhat dangerous-looking.

“It’s... for _you_ ,” he said pointedly.

Sarah blinked a couple times and tried not to let the surprise show on her face. For _her?_ Who would be calling her _he_ _re?_

Her gaze shifted from the phone to John, and it gave her a tiny flicker of satisfaction to see the _slightest_ hint of irritation beginning to appear around his eyes. She knew she’d probably regret it later, but she decided then and there that she was going to give it right back to him as much as he was giving it to her.

_Game on, Seed._

Putting on an almost absurdly-sweet smile, she sauntered over to him and took the receiver from his hand.

“Thank you,” she chirped, another tiny thrill running through her at the way his eyes seemed to burn at that. She raised the receiver to her face.

“Hello? ...Okay. ...Bye-bye.” 

She hung up the phone again and met John’s penetrating gaze. “Um, that was the hospital,” she told him. “They say it's customary for friends and family to come down and give blood.”

“Fine,” John said, his eyes flashing. “Let's go _together_.”

* * *

The duo walked to the parking lot of the apartment building, and a thought hit Sarah like- well... poorly-timed metaphor aside- a train: _she had no idea what Jacob’s car looked like._

Jamila had mentioned something about his ‘fancy car’ that first day in the hospital. Ethan had shot the comment down, joking that the car was ‘ _only_ a-’

...'Only a-'... only a _what??_ What _was it??_ She couldn’t remember! Jacob’s car key fob was for a Toyota (she at least recognized the logo), but... how many different models did that leave? And what color??

She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly through her nostrils, trying to think fast.

“You know what? l think maybe we should take _your_ car,” she suggested, her eyes darting rapidly around the parking lot.

“Oh, no. We oughta take _Jacob’s_ car,” John replied quickly, not missing a beat. “Colder weather - wouldn’t want the fluids to freeze with it just sitting there.”

“Hmm.” _Snake._ “Okay,” she muttered, coming to a stop at the end of the row of cars they were passing.

John watched her carefully. “...You know where it's parked, don’t you?” he asked. His tone sounded innocent enough, but Sarah knew better.

“Oh, yeah,” she said, trying to buy a second or two of time. “l uh- yeah.” She remembered the key fob in her hand and glanced down at it, seeing the door unlock button. She raised her hand and pressed it, watching for- _there!_

Both of their heads turned when the headlights of a red Toyota Tacoma truck in the next row (that looked like it hadn’t been washed in quite a while, judging from the dirt, dust, and road salt all over it) blinked on and off, a small _chirp_ emanating from the car as its doors unlocked.

John turned his head back to look at Sarah, lips slightly pursed. He gave her a succinct ‘ _hm_ ’, which she promptly returned, and the two of them headed for the truck.

* * *

John sat back against the pillow on the hospital bed, his mind racing. Something wasn’t quite right with this woman... he just knew it. He could _feel_ it. His instincts were almost never wrong - it was how he’d done so well as a lawyer thus far. He continued to apply pressure to the piece of gauze over his needle puncture site, trying to think of what his next move should be.

Jacob and Joseph had gone through a ‘rough patch’ before Jacob’s accident, and as a result the eldest brother had somewhat distanced himself from the family for a few months now. It wasn’t the first time John’s older brothers had disagreed on something, but still - for Jacob to suddenly be _engaged_ , and not have said anything to _anyone_ ? Even if Jacob _was_ a bit reserved... it just didn’t make sense.

Jacob and this Sarah... 

John turned his head, eyeing her in the gurney next to his. 

“Hey, we’ll have to get your picture for the mantle,” he suddenly suggested to her. 

Her eyes shifted over to him. “Of- of _me?_ ” she asked, raising her brows.

“No, of you and Jacob,” he said.

_‘Since you’re both ‘so in love’, it should be no problem for you to produce a photo of the two of you together. ...RIGHT?’_

She smiled and shook her head, looking away. “I’m- I’m not that photogenic.”

“l doubt that,” he mumbled.

A nurse walked between their beds and handed Sarah a small cup of juice. “All right. Now, l want you to sit here and _sip_ this, or you’ll get woozy,” she instructed. 

Sarah sat up on the gurney and swung her legs over the side, having finished with her blood donation a little earlier.

“When did you start seeing Jacob?” John asked her point-blank.

“September 17th,” she replied, not meeting his eyes but also not even hesitating. Hmm.

While the nurse started checking on John’s arm, he very quickly did the math.

“Three months. That's quick,” he commented.

“You have no idea,” she said, almost to herself. She downed her cup of juice in one swift motion and rose off of the bed.

“That's fast. That’s... a fast engagement,” he continued. 

The nurse stopped what she was doing with John and turned to Sarah, looking somewhat alarmed. “Miss!”

“I’m fine,” Sarah grunted, making a hasty beeline for the door leading out to the rest of the hospital.

John moved to follow her, but the nurse attempted to stop him.

“Wait, I’m not finished with you!” she protested.

“l got it, l got it.” John waved his other hand impatiently as he shooed the nurse away, grabbed his coat, and scooted off of his bed. “l got it- ooh.”

He hadn’t gone more than two steps after Sarah when his knees buckled, the world around him suddenly shimmering and fluctuating. His last thought before collapsing onto the floor in a heap was the recollection of _why_ one shouldn’t stand up so quickly after donating blood.

* * *

“What the hell’s he got a TV for? He's in a coma, for God’s sake.”

“Nick, shh. He might hear you, you know.”

“Then get him a radio.”

Megan frowned across the room at Nick, who was playing cards with Joseph on a spare hospital bed in Jacob’s room, the men sitting across from each other. In the meantime, Megan and Faith were sitting on one side of Jacob’s bed, with Jamila and Ethan sitting on the other.

“Maybe he’d like us to sing to him?” Faith suggested. Her face brightened as Sarah entered the room, followed by a pale John behind her.

“Maybe Sarah knows his favorite song,” she added. “ ‘Only You’.”

“-‘You’,” Sarah quickly repeated after Faith, seeing John scrutinizing her out of the corner of her eye. “ ‘You.’ ” She shrugged casually, as if she’d known the answer all along.

John wasted no time. He rounded on Sarah, moving to stand in front of her. “Which one of the Three Stooges was Jacob’s favorite?” he quizzed.

“...Curly,” she answered after a moment’s thought.

John’s eyes widened and a smirk came across his face. “Curly! Hah!” 

She felt mild panic for a second, thinking she’d chosen wrong and that he’d somehow trapped her. The rest of the Seed family were now watching them both curiously.

John’s smile quickly vanished and he frowned, almost pouting.

“...He's _everybody's_ favorite.”

“l like Shemp,” Nick muttered from across the room.

“Favorite ice cream,” John fired off again, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

She flashed back to when she had seen the inside of Jacob’s freezer. “Baskin-Robbins,” she responded matter-of-factly.

“Favorite baseball team.” His finger inched closer to her.

“M- Missoula.”

“PaddleHeads or Timberjacks?” He almost looked ready to pounce on her now, his eyes blazing.

“What the heck is going on?” Joseph finally spoke up, scrunching up his brow at his younger brother.

“John... why are you asking her all these questions?” Faith asked, standing up from her seat.

“Don’t ask me-” John glanced at her, then glared back at Sarah. “-Ask her _boyfriend_ ,” he snarled, voice full of venom.

Sarah blinked a few times and tilted her head, caught off guard. 

_...Wh... what??_

Megan’s face turned sour. “That isn't very funny, you know,” she scolded, motioning to Jacob.

“No no-” John also gestured at his unconscious brother. “Not _this_ boyfriend...” He faced Sarah again, his eyes forming slits. “... _Hercules Drubman_.” He articulated every syllable of the name dramatically, looking somewhat proud of himself.

A very unladylike snort burst from Sarah’s mouth before she could stop it and she laughed, incredulous and dumbstruck for a second. “Herc- _Hurk_ _Junior??_ ”

“Mm-hmm, that's right,” John said smugly. “Mr. Hurk Drubman Junior. He said that you were ‘ _intimate_ ’.”

“Yeah, well, he’s also said that he invented aluminum foil!” Sarah shot back. “And his name is _not_ ‘Hercules’, it’s just ‘Hurk’. The man is _delusional_.”

“He was very lucid when _l_ talked to him,” John insisted.

“Oh dear... oh dear,” Jamila murmured, sitting back in her chair as she wrung her hands.

“Ma, you okay?” Megan questioned, looking at her mother with concern.

Joseph was at Jamila’s side in an instant. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and glanced at John. “You see what you did?” he asked him wearily.

John’s eyebrows shot upwards, looking like a deer caught in headlights. “What did _l_ do?”

Jamila looked over at Sarah and gave her a hopeful smile. “Well... if she wanted to prove it... she’d prove it.”

... _Ohh... God..._

The other members of the Seed family slowly turned their heads from Jamila to Sarah, watching her intently.

 _‘PROVE it?’_ thought Sarah, her stress instantly going through the roof. _‘How the hell am I supposed to-’_

Her mouth opened wordlessly a little as an idea hit her.

_‘Well... there is that ONE thing... oh God, but I can’t tell them about THAT... right??’_

As everyone continued to stare at her, her eyes met John’s for a moment. His expression almost seemed like restrained _delight_ , the jackass - he was probably thrilled to see her squirm, thinking that he’d won his stupid little attack on her. His eyes seared into hers, just daring her to speak.

As much as it mortified her to reveal something as personal as _this_... it would seem that she really didn’t have much of a choice. John (and inadvertently, Jamila) had forced her hand.

She took a deep breath, trying to steel herself for the bombshell she was about to drop.

“Jacob... has only... _one_ testicle,” she finally said, the words almost literally painful to get out.

The family’s jaws dropped, all looking around at each other as if to confirm that everyone just heard the same thing.

John’s face whirled back over to Sarah. “ _No way,_ ” he objected.

“ _Way,_ ” Sarah insisted back. “About a month ago there was an accident, and he was playing basketball, and his friend had a pencil... in his back pocket...”

“Ohhh... _damn!_ ” Ethan whispered, his face grimacing while he writhed in his seat uncomfortably.

The other adults winced and peered around at each other again, clearly trying to sort out who was going to be the one to confirm this revelation.

Joseph tipped his head towards John hopefully. “Maybe, um-” 

John arched his eyebrows at his older brother. “What? _No_.”

“Well, _somebody's_ gotta look,” Megan urged.

“Pfft, don’t look at _me_ ,” Ethan huffed, shaking his head vehemently.

“Ugh, me either,” Faith agreed, holding her palms out in front of her.

“...I’ll do it!” Jamila offered, a small half-smile on her face.

“MA!”

Sarah heard a snort behind her and jumped a little, almost forgetting that Nick was still sitting at the bed behind her.

Joseph sighed and closed his eyes in defeat. “Well... I suppose _I_ have to, then. l _am_ his brother.” 

He slowly, reluctantly reached out and lifted the blanket covering the lower half of Jacob’s body.

“Oh, Dad! Gross!” Ethan protested, shielding his eyes as he turned away in his chair.

The rest of the family looked extremely uncomfortable and averted their eyes also, waiting apprehensively for the final verdict.

Sarah ground her teeth together and stared down at the floor while she waited - sympathetic for Jacob _and_ his family.

The elevator doors in the hospital slid open with a _ding_ as the Seed family shuffled in. The doctor already within it sidestepped to make room for them all.

Nobody had said a word since leaving Jacob’s room. An awkward silence had followed them since, their faces all somber.

Jamila took a breath, then shrugged. “Well, look at the bright side,” she said cheerfully. “He’s got more room in his jockey shorts!”

The family all turned their heads to stare at the old woman.

“...Ma!” Megan scolded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Oh Hurk Jr. Poor Sarah. (The 'interrogation'/reveal scene is one of my favorite in the movie, LOL)


	6. "Who IS it??"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hurk Jr. hijinks. Nick drops by Sarah's apartment to chat briefly. Then JOHN drops by to see Sarah, who heads back to Jacob's apartment with him for an errand.

_The elevator doors in the hospital slid open with a ding as the Seed family shuffled in. The doctor already within it sidestepped to make room for them all._

_Nobody had said a word since leaving Jacob's room. An awkward silence had followed them since, their faces all somber._

_Jamila took a breath, then shrugged. “Well, look at the bright side,” she said cheerfully. “He's got more room in his jockey shorts!”_

_The family all turned their heads to stare at the old woman._

_“...Ma!” Megan scolded._

* * *

Sarah entered her apartment, turned on the lights, and shut the door behind her - then without missing a beat proceeded to faceplant on the closet a few feet in front of her. She banged on it once with her fists for good measure, frustrated and tired from such a long day.

A sudden knock at her door dampened her spirits further.

“Who is it?” she asked, her voice muffled against the closet.

“What gives??” a familiar voice complained from the other side of the door.

Hurk Jr. 

...Not exactly the person she wanted to see or talk to the most right now. She grunted and turned around, then opened the door. 

The second it was open, Hurk Jr. stepped into the doorway and pointed an accusatory finger at her.

“You stood me up,” he reprimanded. He flippantly held up both hands as if to shun her - yet continued to strut into her apartment and head further inside. 

“For _what?_ ” she shot back as she followed him, having absolutely _no_ idea what he was talking about.

“Our date.”

“ _What_ date?”

“To the winter carnival!” He spun around and pointed at her again. “l had to eat your ticket!” As he ‘hand-shunned’ her again, Sarah scrunched up her brow.

“l never said l would go on a date with you!”

“Yes you did,” he argued.

“No l didn’t,” she replied.

“Yes you did!”

“No l didn’t!”

“Did _too!_ ” he insisted.

“DIDN'T!”

“DID _TOO!_ ”

Another knock came from her apartment door, and Sarah held up a hand for Hurk to be quiet. “Who is it?” she called out.

“Sarah, it's Nick.”

Her eyes widened and she clapped a hand over Hurk's mouth, feeling the blood drain from her face. “Oh my god.” She removed her hand and began pushing him back towards her bedroom closet.

“What are ya, two-timin' Hurk Jr.?” he griped.

“I'm not two-timing, l never _one_ -timed,” she replied with a roll of her eyes. 

Hurk sidestepped her and made for the front door. “Hey, I'll fight the guy.” 

She quickly hooked her arm around his and swung him around again. “Hey, get in the closet.” She shoved him inside and held up a finger in warning. “Not a word.”

“Nice panties!” came his reply, holding up a pair of her light pink, lacy underwear as he waggled his eyebrows at her lewdly.

She snatched it back and glared at him one last time before slamming the closet door shut. Then she doubled back to her front door and opened it, waving at Nick on the other side. 

“Hey.”

Nick raised an eyebrow, a devilish smile appearing on his face. “l like boxer shorts myself, but uh... _maybe_ I could try these...”

Sarah followed his gaze and realized she'd inadvertently waved at him with her undies in hand by mistake. Her cheeks instantly grew hot. “Sorry,” she murmured, shoving the lacy undergarment into one of her coat pockets.

He chuckled and gestured into her apartment. “You got company?”

“No, uh... TV,” she said. “It's on... next door.” She stood back and motioned for him to enter. “Um... you, uh... want some coffee, or tea or something?”

He shook his head. “No no, not a- not a thing.” 

She shut the door behind him and he walked a few steps into her living area before turning to face her. His expression grew serious. “Sarah... there’s somethin’ you should know. ...The night you visited Jacob, l was outside the door. ...l know the truth.”

After her initial shock wore off, her eyes slid closed and she took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Panic and relief _both_ washed over her at the same time. She didn’t reply right away, trying to allow his reveal to sink in. Rubbing her forehead, she slowly sank down on her couch, taking another moment to gather her thoughts.

“I'm... _so_ sorry, Nick,” she admitted softly. “Really, I- I truly am. I never meant for any of this to happen. You know, you don't have to worry, 'cause I'm gonna tell them everything.”

“Don't tell them a _thing_ ,” he countered, holding his hands up. “I haven't even told my _own_ family.”

Sarah blinked and did a double-take at him, thrown for a loop. “Wh- ...what?”

He sat down on the couch beside her. “Remember the night you said you'd never do anything to hurt the family?” 

“Outside the Christmas party, yeah?” she nodded, remembering their conversation on the Seeds’ stairs before they’d gone inside.

“Well since they met you, it's like they have Jacob back,” he explained. “If you tell 'em the truth... it’ll be like takin’ him away again. They need you, Sarah... just like you need _them_.” 

She didn't respond right away, mulling his words over, so he continued. 

“Now look - l _know_ you're a good woman. l know you’ll do the right thing.”

He gave her a warm smile and patted her knee gently. Despite feeling more uncertain than _ever_ about what the immediate future might bring, she gave him a modest smile back. 

“Thank you,” she murmured.

He nodded and stood up, then began heading for her door. He'd only gone a few steps when he suddenly paused and turned around to face her again.

“Oh, by the way... how _did_ you know about the uh... Jacob, with the one, uh...”

He made a cupping gesture with one hand and Sarah's face flushed again. She gritted her teeth and flailed a little, immediately wanting to sink through the floor. Any _other_ time, she might have laughed, but...

Nick must have sensed her immediate unease and snickered, holding up a hand while shaking his head. “You know somethin'? l don’t _wanna_ know.”

He grinned and nodded at her again before heading out.

“Bye,” she called softly after him. A thud from her bedroom made her huff and whirl around, quickly remembering the man still hidden away in the closet.

“God... Hurk, what're you- what're you _doing??_ ” she shouted, racing over to it. Throwing the door open, she froze at the view in front of her: Hurk, sitting on the floor of the closet. One of her high heels was in his hand, being held up to one of his now bare feet.

Hurk blinked up at her with eyes like saucers, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

“I- l slipped,” he asserted sheepishly.

It took Sarah a second to find her voice again. “...You're trying on my shoes??”

“No!” Hurk protested. “When l fell, my foot went like that-” he made a downward swooping motion with his free hand, “-right into the shoe!”

Another knock on her front door had Sarah seeing red. She moved to her bedroom doorway and glared at the back of her front door.

“Who _IS it??_ ” she hollered, stamping a foot on the floor as Hurk exited the closet behind her.

“It's me, John Seed,” an annoyingly familiar male voice answered back. 

She held back the urge to scream. “My God, doesn't _anybody_ use a phone anymore?” she hissed rhetorically.

“ _l_ do,” Hurk replied with a shrug.

“I'm not talking about _900 numbers_ ,” she shot back, shoving him back inside the closet.

“Who told?” Hurk whined, before she banged the door shut on him and... whatever weirdness he'd been up to. She'd deal with it later - one crisis at a time. 

She went to the front door, took a deep breath, and shook her arms loose - trying to look calm and composed before facing the aggressor that was John Seed. When she felt ready (as much as she was _going_ to be, anyway), she opened the door and stared at the man waiting on the other side.

“Hi. So, more questions?” she asked him dryly.

John smirked and shook his head a little. “No, l have an engagement present for you.”

Her face fell. 

_A present? ...An ENGAGEMENT present?_

She was at a loss for words for a couple seconds, not sure how to process this information. “...Ohh, you really shouldn't have,” she murmured.

“l didn't,” he replied, not missing a beat. “It's from Joseph and Megan. It's a rather large plant. You want me to bring it up?” Before she had time to respond, he continued. “Hey, was that _Nick_ l saw leaving?” 

A thump came from further inside the apartment. She made a mental note to give Hurk Jr. a solid thrashing later. 

John tilted his head, eyes darting into her apartment. “What's that?”

Sarah thought quickly, her eyes shifting back and forth for a moment. “...Cat,” she responded flatly.

“...Big cat,” he muttered.

“Um, l think- l think you should, um, bring it to, uh... bring it to Jacob's apartment,” she said, trying to change the subject.

“You haven't even _seen_ it,” he pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, you know, _anything_ would look nicer in Jacob's apartment,” she joked with a breathy chuckle. A couple more soft thuds from inside her home compelled her to act.. “You know what? I'll come _with_ you.”

She exited the unit, immediately pulling the door shut behind her.

* * *

John parallel parked his fancy SUV near Jacob's apartment, pulling up very close to the car in the spot ahead of him.

Once out of the passenger side, Sarah craned her neck around to check out the spot.

“You know what? l think you parked too clo-” She looked up and realized John had already gone around to the back of his car, so she followed him and tried again. “l think you parked too close to the other car,” she cautioned.

“Had to. We gotta unload the plant,” he replied. “Ready to see it?”

Sarah crossed her arms over her chest and smiled, waiting to see what Joseph and Megan had planned for her.

John gave her a small smile back as he raised the back door of his car - revealing a flowered, bushy plant in a large, heavy-looking terra cotta pot.

“Ta-daa,” he announced theatrically.

Her eyes widened a little as she took in the plant's open blossoms that were several inches wide, with pinkish-apricot colored centers that faded to a whitish-light pink around the outside edges .

" _'Bliss_ _Parfuma'_ ," John informed her. “Grows around Eden's Gate church. Megan and Faith always make sure to save some before the winter weather really hits.”

A light and fruity, sweet scent like vanilla mixed with apples tickled her nostrils and reminded her of a warm spring day with blue skies and birds singing in the trees. She closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply while leaning forward for a closer look, nostalgia making her feel almost warm inside.

“It's beautiful,” she told him.

“It's supposed to be very resistant to disease, so it should hopefully last for quite a while...” he continued. 

When he paused, Sarah glanced over at him to find that he appeared mildly aggravated, lips pursed as if it physically pained him a little to say what came out of his mouth next. 

“ ‘So that the soon-to-be-newlyweds can have some ‘wedded Bliss’ ’, as my brother and his wife so... _interestingly_ phrased it,” he added flatly, raising an eyebrow at her.

A snicker slipped out before she could hold it back, but he looked somewhat pleased by her amusement so she didn't feel entirely guilty about her reaction.

“So - you're a lawyer in a small firm _and_ you help your family out with the church,” she said, recalling a prior conversation with Faith. “Even in rural Montana - it must get kinda busy for you at times.”

John's smile fell and he seemed to be in thought for a moment.

“I- yes,” he replied with hesitation, looking away from her. “It's not always easy for me to do both.”

She sensed there was more to the subject - but he didn't seem too keen to discuss it at the present moment, so she wasn't about to pry.

* * *

John had luckily brought a small wooden furniture dolly with him to help transport the potted plant, since it would've been difficult for one or even both of them to try and carry the heavy pot the whole way up to Jacob's apartment themselves. When he and Sarah had wheeled the wide, unwieldy plant up to the front door of the apartment building, John started to reach for one of the double doors to prop it open but Sarah shook her head.

“I got it, I got it,” she assured him. She leaned diagonally across the doorway, using her booted feet to hold open one door while using her hands and arms to prop open the other one. When this was done, she lifted her head to give him a playful smile. “See? Here we go.”

Despite himself, he couldn’t help chuckling. “Oh _this_ technique,” he bantered. “How could I not have thought of that.”

She giggled as he maneuvered the dolly underneath her, both shifting their bodies awkwardly as though they were playing a game of Twister, in order to get the plant inside the building.

He'd just finished pushing it past Sarah - who was finally able to let go of the doors and step inside - when a voice suddenly called out to him.

“E- excuse me, sir... what apartment?”

John turned to see an older doorman hurrying up to him from the street.

“Uh, 3C,” he replied.

The doorman looked apologetic. “Well sir, I'm sorry, but... guests have to be announced, ya know?”

“Well, I'm with _her_ -” John gestured to Sarah through the glass doors, who was guiding the dolly further inside. “I'm helping her.”

The doorman looked at Sarah, then back at John and shrugged, his face blank. “...So?”

John scrunched up his brow at the man. “...You don't know her?”

“No...” the man responded, but then quickly held up a finger and added, “Bu- but I'm new here.”

John’s expression relaxed, a little relieved. “Oh! Well, she's Jacob Seed's fiancée, in 3C.”

“Ohh!” Recognition instantly showed on the other man's face. “Oh, yeah.” He rushed to open the door for John, then leaned closer to him - his voice now hushed. “They told me about her, sir.” His eyes widened. “...She's _scary_.”

“Tell me about it,” John replied with a knowing smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I was going to make this chapter a little bit longer, but I didn't want to cut it off in the middle of a good scene (John & Sarah have a bit of a convo in the next chapter), so I figured it was better to end it where I did.
> 
> \- Fun fact: Bliss roses are a real thing!  
> ( https://www.heirloomroses.com/bliss-parfumar.html )  
> Thank you so, soooo much to 'Dubstep_Strawberry' for help with this chapter! I couldn't exactly have the ACTUAL Bliss flower in this no-cult AU... it would be kind of weird/unsafe to have that kind of plant in a 'normal home', you know? LOL.
> 
> \- For anyone who's seen the original movie before ('While You Were Sleeping'), you'll notice that the story is starting to diverge from the movie a tiny bit now. That will keep happening a bit more as the story goes further along (you'll see!), but many things will still be similar. Whether the fic will be continued for longer than the movie's original plot or not depends on how well it does, lol.


	7. Careful of the icy patch/I'm in trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John & Sarah make a small delivery to Jacob's apartment, then they share a nice conversation.

_“Ohh!” Recognition instantly showed on the other man's face. “Oh, yeah.” He rushed to open the door for John, then leaned closer to him - his voice now hushed. “They told me about her, sir.” His eyes widened. “...She's scary.”_

_“Tell me about it,” John replied with a wry smile._

* * *

John and Sarah began pushing the Bliss flower plant on its wooden dolly into Jacob's apartment, but hit a snag when both the pot and the dolly got stuck about halfway through the doorway.

“Ooh,” John grunted, trying to lift the dolly up off of the ground a little - with no success. 

“Be careful,” Sarah cautioned him with a smile.

“Uh... maybe we should, uh, angle it a little bit,” he suggested.

“Um...” She leaned one way around the plant, then the other, trying to get a good look at the obstruction. “...l think it's wedged.”

“Why don't you step back for a little bit? I'm gonna try an old trick,” he said.

She moved back from the doorway and crossed her arms over her chest. “What- what's the trick?” she asked curiously.

“...Push it really hard.” He smirked at her, a confident twinkle in his eyes before he crouched down, disappearing behind a cluster of leaves and roses.

She snickered and looked away. “ 'Kay.” When nothing seemed to happen for a couple seconds, she raised an eyebrow and glanced back at the doorway. “Okay, okay _push_ ,” she reminded him.

“...l _did_ ,” came a feeble reply from behind the plant.

She laughed softly and shook her head while he rose up again. “Do you want me to help you _now?_ ” she asked coyly.

His eyes crinkled at the corners, one side of his mouth lifting upwards. “All right, a little help would be good.” 

“ 'Kay.”

“ 'Kay.”

They both bent towards the pot and dolly, readying themselves - John preparing to push, Sarah to pull.

“One, two, three- yah!” John huffed, shoving with all his might. 

Several things happened then, in the span of just a few seconds. 

The dolly suddenly gave way and came flying through the doorway. A small chunk of wood splintered off from the door frame. Sarah lost her footing and stumbled backwards with a small shout, arms flailing for something to brace against. Unfortunately, the first something she came into contact with was an accent table that had a bottle of whiskey sitting on it (left out by Jacob at some point). The bottle toppled, hitting the floor a few feet away and smashing - shards of glass and a small puddle of liquor soaking into the threads of the carpet.

Sarah's eyes bugged out, her jaw dropping as she stared at it in shock. She barely noticed at first when John appeared over her shoulder. He positioned his hands on his hips while she righted herself, both staring at the broken bottle silently for a couple more seconds.

“Ohh...” Sarah moaned quietly, grinding her back teeth together in a grimace.

“...l think the plant should go _right_ there,” John murmured, tilting his head thoughtfully.

Sarah turned to look at him, and after a moment they both erupted into a small fit of laughter.

* * *

“Oh no... no no nooo, look at this!” 

By the time John and Sarah exited Jacob’s apartment building, it was dark outside. They were approaching John’s SUV when he suddenly groaned and hurried over to it, gesturing to the sedan that had parked very close behind him - sandwiching John's car between that one and the one in front of him. 

“Idiot just blocked me in!” he complained.

“I- I told you not to park that close,” Sarah said with a chuckle, shrugging empathetically.

“Aah!” he grunted, circling his SUV to inspect what little space remained around it. “Hey, check the meter. See what time it is-”

“Um, it's after six o’clock,” she reminded him. “They can pretty much stay here _all night_ if they want to.”

His shoulders slumped as he leaned back against the side of his car, resigned. “All night, huh?”

Sarah pinched her lips together, her eyebrows raising as she gave him a pitying look. “Um... good night?”

He cocked his head at her, a quizzical smile on his face. “You're just gonna leave me here?”

“Basically, yeah.” Another shrug.

“Well... maybe l oughta walk you back,” he suggested.

“What for?”

“For protection.”

She shook her head and waved a hand flippantly. “Oh, no, I'm fine. I'm okay.”

“For _me_ ,” he corrected with a small half-laugh. “l don't want to be here by myself. This isn't exactly the safest neighborhood.”

She giggled, and then it was her turn to tilt her head, raising one eyebrow. “Are you sure your _Mercedes_ will be okay?” she asked, her tone light and playful.

“I'm a lawyer with very good insurance,” he replied tartly. “I'd much rather replace the car than risk bodily harm.”

The duo both shared a soft laugh this time as they started off down the street together.

* * *

“You look cold.”

“Heh, probably because l _am_ cold.” 

“You need a better coat.”

“What?” Sarah peered down at her calf-length peacoat while they walked and gave John a soft smile. “This was my _dad's_."

“Ahh, then he's probably freezing.”

“He passed away.”

John winced. “Sorry,” he murmured apologetically.

She shook her head, unfazed. “It's not your fault. He passed away last year. l don't even really remember my mom, so...” She shrugged.

“...What was he like?” He asked her after a moment's pause.

“He was a lot like me. ...Dark hair, flat chest.”

John chuckled, causing her to laugh also.

“What do you remember most about him?” he continued.

“Oh-ho, _that_ ,” she said, pretending she'd misunderstood him before. “Okay, well... he liked maps. He used to hear of a place on the TV, we'd pull out the atlas, and find out where it was. Then we'd route out this, like, little way to get there.”

“Hmm,” he responded. “...If there were one place in the world where you'd go, where would it be?”

Sarah opened her mouth to reply - then quickly shut it again, an almost sad smile on her face. She huffed a little and shook her head.

“...What?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, I can't...” she said, avoiding his eyes. “You'll probably think I’m stupid.”

John watched her for a moment, then cocked his head towards her. “I _promise_ I won’t think you're stupid.” 

Her lips tightened to form a thin line, then she took a deep breath. “...My dad and I only moved to Montana a couple years ago when he got sick, so he could take part in a research study at a hospital not too far away. Before that, we spent most of our lives in Connecticut.”

She reached inside the collar of her shirt and pulled out a thin silver chain, showing him a silver cross hanging from it with a small diamond in its center.

“My mom's,” she explained. “My dad gave it to me. I've had it for as long as I can remember. It's the only thing I have of hers. She was a little more religious than my dad was, but he always attended church with her regardless. Anyway, there's this church in Stamford, Connecticut nicknamed ‘Fish Church’. It was called that because the outside of the building is actually fish-shaped. It's pretty cool. But once you go inside, oh...”

She clutched both her hands over her heart, which made the corners of John's mouth pull upwards. 

“Inside the sanctuary, it has these enormous- the most _beautiful_ stained glass windows.” She spread her hands out in front of her, as if visually trying to paint a picture. “When the light streams in through them, it's just... _breathtaking_. So many different colors, so much to look at... I don't even know if I have the words in me to accurately describe it.” 

Her hands sunk back into her coat pockets again. Though her gaze was unfocused, her eyes seemed to sparkle as she spoke, holding John's attention.

“I used to love to visit it,” she continued. “When my dad got sick and we had to move, I was kind of sad, thinking that I'd never see it again. My dad just smiled and told me that if I thought our ‘little Connecticut church’ was impressive, I should see some of the churches in _France_. He'd never been himself, but had seen pictures and showed me some before we left. One in particular - the ‘ _S_ _ainte-Chapelle_ ’ in Paris - is said to have one of the most impressive stained glass collections anywhere in the world. When I saw the pictures he showed me, I couldn't believe my eyes.”

She paused in her speech, her face falling as she stared ahead of her, lost in thought for a couple seconds before taking another deep breath.

“...We never did make it there,” she murmured. “Dad just got sicker, I had to drop out of school, we moved _here_ , and... every so often he'd- he'd keep reminding me that we would go together someday. I think it just... gave him something to hold on to.”

When enough silence had gone by that she suddenly became all-too-aware of the sound of their steps on the pavement, her eyes darted over to John - who was staring at her intently, his expression blank. She averted her eyes again, clenching her bottom lip between her teeth. She felt a burn against her cheeks that she was sure had nothing to do with the chill in the air.

“I- I'm sorry,” she mumbled. “Here you were asking a simple question, and I completely went off-”

“It's fine,” he assured her, holding up a hand to stop her. “I don't mind. I liked listening to you talk about it.”

She glanced over at him, a look of appreciation on her face. Seeing her look at him that way felt somewhat strange to him - although the feeling wasn't entirely unpleasant.

Her eyes suddenly lit up as if she remembered something.

“Oh, but l _do_ have-” she fished around in her coat pocket for a second, then looked pleased after she pulled something out. “-My passport!” she finished proudly, holding it up to show him.

“You have your passport... _with_ you?” he asked, an amused smile materializing on his face as he took it from her.

“Yes I do. Well... just in case l ever need to leave the country in a hurry,” she joked, winking at him.

“That's great,” he said, opening it up to take a peek. His face suddenly fell as he looked inside. ”Oh- you were right, you're... not very photogenic at all.” 

He snickered when she snatched it back out of his hands and appeared offended. “Only joking,” he quickly added. “...There aren't any stamps in it.”

“Yeah, well... I haven't _gone_ anywhere yet,” she responded. “But, you know... I'm gonna visit France _someday_ , and see the stained glass windows at Sainte-Chapelle, so... I'll go.”

“I bet that'll make your dad very proud,” he said, smiling gently at her again.

Sarah eyed him for a moment, then smiled back. “...You know, in a very small way... you kind of remind me of him a little bit.”

“Hm. l see,” he replied. “So... he was a handsome, classy guy, always a gentleman-” 

She chuckled softly as he continued.

“-a working man, who-”

“-Who just stepped in doggy poopy,” she finished for him, a smirk growing on her face.

“Ohh!” John stopped walking and glanced down at his boot, wrinkling his nose as he tried to scrape it clean on a bare patch of pavement.

Sarah snorted, and then the two of them burst out laughing.

“Now that- _that’s_ classy,” she teased him in between breaths. “Very classy!”

John ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, grinning as he rolled his eyes at his luck.

“All right... tell me more,” he said, trying to move the conversation along as the two continued their walk. “You said you had to leave school. What were you studying at the time?”

Sarah raised an eyebrow at him. “God, you've just become ‘Mr. Chatty’ this evening.”

“Fact of the matter is, I'm about to start shivering - and making conversation keeps my face from freezing,” he quipped.

She chuckled and tilted her head, a coy expression forming as her gaze lowered to the ground. “As a matter of fact... I was studying Criminal Justice with a minor in Legal Studies.”

John turned his face towards hers again so quickly, she was amazed he didn’t get whiplash. The speed at which his eyebrows shot up made her laugh softly again.

“Get outta here,” he uttered in disbelief. “ _Law?_ ” When she nodded humbly, he shook his head again. 

“Not that I was planning on being a _lawyer_ , mind you - not that there’s anything _wrong_ with that-” she quickly added with a side glance to John, who smirked, “-more leaning towards law _enforcement_ . But then everything _else_ happened, and...” She shrugged her shoulders and sighed.

“...Are you ever going _back?_ ” he asked, curious.

She opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out at first. Her gaze slowly lowered to the ground.

“I... I dunno,” she murmured, not sounding too certain. “It would be nice to have everything you want, in an ideal world... but then reality sets in... obstacles, obligations, and responsibilities arise, and then... all your plans and hopes seem just like that - unrealistic _dreams_.” She let out a small huff like a half-laugh, her face forming a partial smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

John didn't reply right away, knowing that predicament all too well.

“Family is... very important,” he began slowly, thinking carefully as he spoke. “Sometimes... it's all you have. But... it's not always easy to sort out when you have an obligation to your loved ones, and when you have a right to your _own_ happiness and desires.”

Sarah looked back up at him, scrutinizing him for a moment. “You sound like you know a thing or two about it,” she said, shooting him a sympathetic smile.

John met her eyes and thought for a couple seconds. 

“Jacob... he and Joseph haven't always seen eye to eye on everything,” he began. “I'm sure you've probably heard a thing or two about it by now.” He raised an eyebrow at her, giving her a knowing half-smile. 

“I... might've heard a little something ‘through the grapevine’,” she admitted sheepishly.

“Well, anyway... Jacob doesn't quite view religion the same way Joseph does,” he continued. “A while back, he wanted some time to... I don’t know, ‘find himself’, or something like that. Figure some things out. Discover what it is he really wanted out of life. Joseph wasn't entirely crazy on the idea. He understood - as much as he _could,_ anyway - but...” He paused and then sighed, his shoulders slumping a little as he reminisced on their past.

“We grew up only being able to depend on _each other_ for... a long time,” he explained. “I think Joseph was... afraid. Nervous that he'd _lose_ Jacob somehow. We told him that the idea was absurd, that we'd _always_ have each other - but my older brothers got into an argument over it, Jacob saw red, and left in a huff.”

He let out a sardonic chuckle in a small puff of air, his warm breath creating a little cloud of vapor that disappeared quickly into the night’s frigid atmosphere.

“It's ironic, really,” he murmured, staring at nothing in particular in front of him. “Joseph trying to hold onto Jacob tighter is what drove him further away all along. It was kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy. In the last few months, Faith and I talked to Jacob from time to time, saw him once or twice, but... contact between him and Joseph was pretty nonexistent. When we heard about the accident and Joseph came to visit him in the hospital - that was the first time he'd actually seen Jacob in a while.”

Sarah tightened her lips together while she watched him, feeling a heaviness grow in the pit of her stomach.

_‘And when the Seeds arrived, here was this stranger that they were told was his fiancée - a woman they'd never once heard of before, not even in passing,'_ she thought mournfully. _‘Whether I liked it or not, John had EVERY right to be suspicious of me... every right to be protective of his wonderful family, of his brothers that were the only safe, loving thing he could rely on for God knows how long.’_

She suddenly felt like a terrible person. She cleared her throat a little, trying to distract her mind from its guilt.

“So... what do _you_ want out of life?” she asked. She leaned towards him a little, giving him an empathetic smile. “That mention of ‘obligations’... wasn’t just about Jacob, was it?” When John half-smiled but didn't immediately respond, she pressed on carefully. “Do _you_ ever find yourself... wanting some distance from the family?” 

“...Not _distance_ , so much...” he answered after a couple seconds. “Just... not the same exact calling as Joseph would prefer of me.” He took a deep breath and sighed. “Eden's Gate is... very important to him. _God_ is very important to him. And there isn't anything wrong with that - for the most part. When we were boys growing up and struggling through some very difficult times, Joseph would always remind us that God does everything for a reason. He always clung to this belief, assured us that any challenges and suffering we faced would pay off someday. ...I owe a lot to Joseph.”

“...But?” Sarah gently prodded after a quiet couple of seconds.

“ _But_... as much as I _also_ believe in God - I have other interests and ambitions besides just Eden's Gate.”

“Like law?” she speculated, recalling his comment to her earlier that day before they'd entered Jacob’s apartment with the potted plant.

John met her eyes briefly, then nodded.

“...Like law,” he agreed softly. “I practice out of a modest firm right now, but... I want _more_ than that. It's something I’ve been thinking about for... a long while now. One of the other attorneys I work with is going to retire relatively soon, and... he's been guiding me a bit, giving me advice about branching out, starting my own business. I know it wouldn't necessarily be easy - the first few years would definitely be an adjustment period - but... I believe I'd be up for the challenge. I've worked with quite a few clients with which I've developed a good rapport, made some good connections... I'd be able to be my _own_ boss, build a business on my _own_ terms... but _most_ importantly - I really feel like I could make a difference here, too.”

“...You want to help people,” she added, a smile returning to her face.

John glanced over at her again. When he saw the way she was looking at him - the corners of her eyes crinkling and the understanding in her expression - it made him smile as well.

“It would obviously take up a lot of my time, though,” he continued, his smile fading a little. “Time that I don't really _have_ right now, because I split my time between working my _current_ job and helping out at Eden's Gate.”

“And... with everything that's happened with Jacob, you don't want to upset Joseph by telling him that you want to differentiate yourself as well,” she deduced.

“The whole situation is... quite complicated,” he acknowledged, closing his eyes briefly and rubbing his brow with one hand.

Sarah started to open her mouth to say more - but didn't want to encroach upon his personal business. She closed it once again, then wrapped her long coat tighter around her with a shiver, suddenly remembering the wintry air around them. A mutual - but not uncomfortable - silence fell between the two of them while they walked, not far now from her apartment.

* * *

A few minutes later, the two of them finally arrived at her building. John turned towards Sarah, and her mouth curved into a smile.

“Thank you. l um- l enjoyed talking with you. I had a good time,” she murmured, pushing some loose hair back behind one ear.

“I enjoyed myself too,” he replied, the corners of his mouth turning up as well. His eyes darted to the icy walkway that led up to the building's entrance, then back at Sarah. “It's... slippery here,” he said softly. “Come on. We got this far - l might as well take you the rest of the way.”

“Watch your step,” she cautioned, eyeing his boots starting towards her upon the frozen pavement. 

He reached out and gently took hold of her upper arm and she shivered - due to the cold temperature, she reasoned (yes, the cold - that was definitely it. Absolutely. Nothing to do with his firm grip that she could feel all the way through the sleeve of her coat). 

The pair began making their way over the ice, their steps deliberate as they attempted to tread cautiously.

“So, um... are you gonna go see Jacob tomorrow?” Sarah queried. The next step she took caused her boot to slide forward a little on the ice, and her hips wobbled from side to side a bit as she made an effort to stabilize herself.

“Well I- whoa-oa!”

John tried to help steady her, but his feet had different plans and slid in opposite directions. He might have ended up doing a split right then and there if she hadn't seized him before he fell completely. The result was the side of John's face pressed against her upper chest, his right arm around her middle, left arm still clenching her coat sleeve like before, Sarah's cheek against his hair at the back of his head, and her arms clutching his neck and shoulders.

“ Whoa!” John grunted, taking a second to recover from his initial surprise. “Wow!”

Sarah snorted, her chest shaking as she cracked up.

“All right-” he started saying.

“Do _not_ take me with you!” she giggled, feeling pleased when he pulled back from her a little to reveal a small smirk on his face.

“No no, I got this,” he assured her. She watched him slowly rise up to his full height.

“You _sure?_ ”

“Yeah.”

“...'Kay.”

She looked up at his face once she suspected he was well-balanced again and he gave her a tiny nod. Right after he did this, however, _her_ legs abruptly skidded out from underneath her - and it was _his_ turn to catch her from faceplanting on the cement by hooking his hands beneath her underarms.

Both of them laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of their situation. 

Taking a breath, Sarah slung an arm clumsily over John's shoulder as he struggled to pull her upright. The two of them wheezed from a mixture of physical exertion, the frosty air circulating in their lungs, and trying to catch their breaths in between undignified guffawing.

“This... this is bad!” John muttered, not looking upset in the least.

“Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!” Sarah grunted pathetically as she fought to stand up straight again, triggering him to shake his head in amusement. With one last ditch effort she finally drew herself up again, clutching the shoulders of his coat tightly with her fingers. Believing she'd reclaimed some control over their situation at last, she took another deep breath and looked up to meet his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized how close in proximity their faces had become. Heat trickled to her cheeks - a stark contrast to the temperature surrounding them - followed by a short puff of warm air escaping from John as he stared at her.

He appeared just as daunted as she felt but quickly recovered, blinking rapidly and clearing his throat.

“Are- are you all right?”

“Mm. Yeah. It's uh- it's just, uh-” She gestured with her head over his shoulder to the building door behind them, words failing her at the moment.

“Over this way? Okay,” he confirmed gently. He braced his hand under her arm for support as he helped her turn. He lost his footing again when he moved though, and on instinct grabbed her around the middle before accidentally dragging them _both_ down to crash stomach-down upon the icy ground.

“Ow! Ohh!” John exclaimed.

“...What was _that?_ ” Sarah cackled, shaking with laughter.

He twisted around at the waist, one of his hands moving to his backside. “...Was that my pants or my muscles?” he jested wearily.

She carefully pulled her legs up underneath her and rose to a crouch, using the snow alongside the walkway as traction. “Give me your hand,” she giggled.

Taking his hand in hers (smoother skin than she expected!), she dragged him a couple feet until he was able to grip the pavement without slipping again. 

He took his time standing up, brushing himself off once he was confident he wouldn't take another fall. He turned to inspect the back of his pants again and let out a groan. “Oh, man... you wouldn't have an extra pair of pants in your apartment, would you?” he asked dryly.

“...If you fit into my pants, l will kill myself,” she said, still releasing an occasional chuckle. She turned her head back to him as she started for the building door, John tailing her. “You don't have to follow me.”

“You're blocking the wind,” he explained with a grin, causing Sarah to laugh harder. “I'll wait until you get inside.” 

She reached the entrance to the building and turned to face him. The two of them smiled somewhat awkwardly at each other as a brief silence fell between them. “Well... good night,” she said, her eyes darting from his face down to her feet, then back up to him again while she shifted her weight from one foot to another.

“...Night,” he replied softly.

“So... I'll see you when l see you?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

With one last quiet giggle, she turned back to the building with a shake of her head and made her way inside.

Unbeknownst to Sarah, John watched her go until she was no longer visible, then looked away. A soft sigh escaped him as he rubbed his forehead and gingerly made his way back to the street.

Sarah started climbing up the building stairs to her apartment, not even pausing when she saw another person out of the corner of her eye approach behind her and pause at the bottom of the stairs.

“All right, Sarah, it's either me or him!” Hurk called after her, doing his best to sound tough.

“Him,” she replied with no hesitation, unlocking her apartment door.

“.....You don't have to answer right _away_ ,” he countered before she shut the door behind her.

The second she was inside, she raced over to her window - the one overlooking the walkway to the street. 

John was walking on top of the snow-covered lawn (most likely for better traction), and his hand kept moving to the back of his pants as he moved. She caught sight of a different colored piece of cloth peeking out - apparently he _had_ torn the back of his pants when he fell after all.

Sarah giggled at the sight, warmth flooding her cheeks while she watched him disappear into the night. It was kind of funny how in such a short amount of time, she had gone from finding his presence quite vexing to...

...to...

She blinked, her smile fading as it hit her. “...Ohh…” she murmured aloud to no one in particular.

“...I'm in trouble.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, the churches mentioned in this chapter are real places! ...And no, I have not seen either one in real life, lol.  
> \- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/La-Sainte-Chapelle-interior.jpg  
> \- https://www.flickr.com/photos/114372178@N06/26499582868/in/photostream/  
> The above links are for 'La Sainte Chapelle' in Paris, France, and its stained glass *does* look amazing.  
> \- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_Church  
> 'Fish Church' in Stamford, Connecticut looks pretty too, and is actually part of 'FC5 Deputy Sarah's' canon as well (her necklace also - although I changed her dad's character for this fic to be a little more similar to the original movie's style. It seemed... 'less mean' that way, LOL)


	8. "You're BORN into a family. You do not JOIN them like you do the marines!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and Sarah stumble into a mildly-awkward situation, Sarah gets visited at work, and an overheard sarcastic comment gets misconstrued. ...And then revealed to the Seeds as fact, who are understandably shocked.

_Sarah giggled at the sight, warmth flooding her cheeks while she watched him disappear into the night. It was kind of funny how in such a short amount of time, she had gone from finding his presence quite vexing to..._

_...to..._

_She blinked, her smile fading as it hit her. “...Ohh...” she murmured aloud to no one in particular._

_“...I’m in trouble.”_

* * *

“I'm having an affair. ...l like John.”

Jerome looked up from his paperwork and blinked at her a couple times from behind his black frames, then scrunched up his forehead. “Who's _John?_ ” 

“Jacob's brother,” Sarah replied, her face pulling into a tight, guilt-ridden grimace.

“So?”

“So he thinks I'm engaged.”

“To who?” 

“To _Jacob_.” She huffed and faceplanted on the opposite side of Jerome's desk, pounding the wood with one fist for extra measure.

“Sarah... l really don't have time for this,” Jerome muttered with a sigh, shaking his head.

“Oh, no no no no no-” She raised her head and gave him a pleading look. “You _have_ to tell me what to do.”

“Tell the truth,” he said matter-of-factly, like it was really just _that_ simple. 

“If l tell John that l lied to his family, he will _never_ speak to me again,” she countered. “And-and-and Joseph, and Megan, and Ethan, and Jamila, and Faith, and-and Nick-”

“Nick? Who’s _Nick?_ ” His tone now rose along with his brow. 

“He's a close friend of the family.” She quickly held up her pointer finger. “But you know what? Actually, he knows.”

“Sarah-” Jerome brandished a hand out towards her like a politician discussing a heated topic. “-You're _born_ into a family. You do not _join_ them like you do the marines!”

“...You _have_ to tell me what to do,” she urged again quietly, at a loss.

Jerome stared at her for a second, pursing his lips.

“Pull the plug.”

“...You are sick,” she glowered, pointing a finger at him.

“ _I'm_ sick? _You're_ cheating on a vegetable,” he rebuffed, pointing right back at her.

She grimaced again, then sighed heavily.

* * *

Ever since the belated Christmas party, family dinners were commonplace for _everyone_ in the ‘Seed coterie’, blood relation or not. Joseph and Megan were currently seated at either end of the table. To one side of them sat Nick, Kim, Faith, and John - and on the other was Jamila, Carmina, Ethan, and Sarah. ...Needless to say, everyone was a little squeezed in together - but no one seemed to mind too much.

Well... almost no one. John looked slightly less than thrilled to be there - but that could’ve just been something on his mind. Everyone else was chipper and talkative, their voices blending together in a melodious sound mixed with the clinking and clanking of dishes and silverware.

Megan looked over to Sarah and smiled, her fork pausing mid-way to her mouth.

“So, Sarah... have you and Jacob decided where you’re gonna go on your honeymoon?” 

Ethan leaned a little closer to Sarah. “They went to _Canada_ ,” he murmured, rolling his eyes as he gestured slightly at his parents.

“ _Alberta_ ,” Joseph specified, his eyes flitting up at him for a moment before returning back down to his dinner plate.

Ethan shook his head and pursed his lips. “ _Anywhere..._ in the whole _world..._ that you could choose to go to for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation opportunity... well, I’d pick someplace more exciting than _Canada_ ,” he continued dryly.

Megan chuckled softly, unphased by her son’s ribbing. “I wanted to check out my old ‘stomping grounds’, and it was a good time to go.”

“Ryan Reynolds is Canadian,” Jamila piped in randomly.

“I dunno... I think _I_ might check out Canada someday,” Carmina said. “I’ve heard it’s really beautiful up there.”

Ethan looked over at her for a couple seconds before looking down, eyes darting around a few times. “...Maybe Canada isn’t _so_ bad,” he replied with a tilt of his head.

“Not what you said a _second_ ago,” Nick murmured playfully, then grunted while Kim’s shoulder jerked a little next to him (Sarah had a feeling he’d just been elbowed lightly in the gut).

“Didn't Jacob look great today?” Faith said cheerfully, beaming around the table at everyone before she took her next bite.

At the mention of her ‘pseudo-fiancée’, Sarah peeked up through her lashes at John sitting across from her. 

He appeared to have a small smile on his face, but it wasn’t reaching his eyes. His mouth - which was already set into a firm line - seemed to tighten even more.

“Well, Jake always _was_ a looker,” Kim said, looking down at her plate. She smirked when Nick slowly glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“He’s tall,” Jamila added. “Many of the good ones are tall!”

“What _is_ it with chicks and tall guys?” Nick muttered, shaking his head with a slight pout.

* * *

John pushed the food on his plate around with his fork vacantly, not really focusing on the random chatter going around the dinner table. After he’d left Sarah at her apartment last night, he’d been a little... ‘off’. He would’ve preferred to be able to blame work, fatigue, or something he ate for his condition, but... deep down, he knew damn well what was _really_ bothering him - whether he truly wanted to admit it to himself or not. He was normally so sharp, so precise with his thoughts and actions... but recently he’d been slipping, and it was making him a bit on edge and restless.

“Sarah, you think you can find me a nice girl for John?”

Hearing Sarah’s name _and_ his in the same sentence suddenly caught his attention. His eyes flicked upwards - only to barely catch Sarah staring at him before her head jerked away, color rising to her cheeks while Megan grinned at him.

“Oh, Megan, come on...” he tittered, shooting his sister-in-law a withering look.

Sarah’s eyes darted around a bit before she looked down at her plate, an uncomfortable-looking smile on her face. “Well, l-l- l really don't know John’s _type_ , so I'm not one to, um-

John stabbed at his dinner, spearing a large piece of chicken with his fork. “l like blondes,” he replied tartly. “Chubby ones.”

He was pretty sure he saw Sarah peek back up at him out of the corner of his eye, while Megan chuckled and shook her head.

“That dude that was in those ‘80s time-travel movies wasn’t tall. The ones with the car. People like him, _and_ he’s Canadian,” Nick remarked.

Kim snorted quietly. “Michael J. Fox,” she clarified.

“Ryan Reynolds is six-foot- _two_ ,” Jamila added with a smile..

“Well, we all know who Sarah’s type is!” Megan teased in a songlike tone. 

Sarah’s returned smile seemed a little too polite, possibly bashful, as she shifted a bit in her seat.

Faith, who had been peering at John with a furrowed brow ever since he’d first spoke, suddenly narrowed her eyes at him.

“...You like _brunettes_ ,” she pointed out.

John’s gaze flew from Faith to Sarah - whose fork stopped halfway to her mouth as she glanced at him again. Once their eyes met, the millisecond that followed felt several moments long. She proceeded to thrust the food into her mouth, and he thought he’d noticed the corner of her mouth twitch upwards the slightest bit but couldn’t be too sure.

_‘Thank you, Faith,’_ he thought acidly, half-shaking his head in disbelief while lowering his eyes to his plate. He made a mental note to remember that the next time she stared at another man - or woman - a little bit longer than usual.

“Keanu Reeves is tall too,” Kim pointed out, still avoiding Nick’s pointed looks and not hiding her amusement from ribbing her husband.

“The ‘Wayne’s World’ fella wasn’t that tall,” Nick countered, pouting slightly as he slashed at his chicken breast with his utensils.

Kim rolled her eyes and finally looked over at her husband incredulously. “Would you really want to see Mike Myers in ‘The Matrix’?” she bantered.

“These mashed potatoes are so creamy,” Megan murmured, savoring her forkful.

“Carmina mashed them,” Faith responded, to which the teen girl smiled humbly.

“...Liam Neeson's pretty tall,” Ethan muttered with a shrug.

“He’s not Canadian,” Nick countered, pointing a finger across the table at him.

“I didn’t say he _was_ , I’m just saying he’s _tall_ ,” Ethan replied with a chuckle.

“Ryan Reynolds is tall _and_ Canadian,” Jamila said.

Ethan leaned forward past Carmina and raised an eyebrow at her down the table. “Geez Nana, what _is_ it with you and Ryan Reynolds?” 

“Are you kidding?” The older woman grinned, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “Have you _seen_ that man in ‘The Proposal’? Especially in the bedroom scene with Sandra what’s-her-name?? Ooh, if I had that muscular, sweaty body next to me-”

“ _Thank you Mom, that will do!_ ” Megan cut her off sharply, eyes narrowed and her mouth halfway between a frown and a smile. 

Carmina and Kim both snorted, Nick coughed into his drinking glass, Ethan grunted and stuck out his tongue in disgust, and Joseph’s lips tightened into a firm line - but his eyes seemed to glimmer with a hint of amusement.

John, meanwhile, had been staring down at his food, his eyes somewhat glazed over. Anyone who didn’t know his family would think this was one of the oddest conversations ever. He couldn’t help slowly looking up at Sarah, curious to see her take on this. 

Her cheeks had pinkened, crinkles forming in the corners of eyes filled with mirth, her mouth twitching as she was trying and failing miserably to keep a straight face. 

As soon as her gaze met his, he raised his brow at her - the corner of his own mouth slowly pulling upwards. Her own bemusement was infectious, and he cocked his head slightly at her as if to say, ‘ _...Do you believe this?_ ’

She nibbled on her bottom lip, barely containing the giggle she tried to suppress, and it gave him a small lick of satisfaction to know that he’d been partially responsible for it. To think they were sharing some kind of private joke also made him feel a little warm all over - but he enjoyed it too much to push away the feeling for the moment.

* * *

“So if you need any help with history... don’t call _me_.”

Ethan and Carmina laughed softly with Sarah at the front door while she prepared to leave. Megan approached with Sarah’s coat in hand and helped her get it on.

“Now remember-” Megan reminded her, “if you’re free for New Year’s, we want to see you.”

“Thank you very much,” Sarah responded, tying her scarf. “Dinner was delicious and l had a great time.”

“Us too.”

John walked behind them and opened the door for Sarah while she hugged Megan and turned to wave at everyone else congregating in the foyer to say their goodbyes.

“Bye!” 

“Bye Sarah!”

“Bye-bye!”

Carmina glanced above Sarah’s head momentarily and her expression grew mischievous. “Hey look, you guys! You’re under the mistletoe! Oooh!”

Sarah and John both looked up to see the devious plant hanging on the doorframe above them, their eyes darting from the frame back down to each other. They both smiled awkwardly as the others proceeded to chuckle and hoot teasingly.

“Kiss her, then. It's mistletoe,” Jamila encouraged John.

“It's tradition,” Kim said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“It's Christmastime,” Faith added with a grin.

_‘...Thank you_ _again_ _, Faith,’_ John thought dryly, making a mental note to remember this too for later.

Sarah’s cheeks, meanwhile, had turned rather crimson. Though she huffed out a small, nervous chortle, her pulse felt like it was racing through her veins.

“Come on, idiot. Kiss her!” Jamila badgered again with an expectant grin.

John and Sarah’s eyes met again, and it was clear the family was not going to let them out of this. After another bit of hesitation, they both stiffly leaned forward to plant a chaste kiss on the other’s lips. ...Very chaste. Barely more than a peck, really - their lips scarcely brushing across each other’s, and then it was over before either had time to really process it.

Even though Sarah had experienced much more affectionate kisses than this in her life, she was still irritated at herself for feeling a little fazed as they both drew back and their spectators cheered accordingly. Not wanting anyone to see she felt _anything_ other than amicable feelings towards the man that was supposed to be her ‘future brother-in-law’, she resisted the temptation to peek at John to gauge his reaction.

Forcing a smile upon her face, she gave the others a quick wave and a final goodbye before turning and heading out into the night, refusing to allow herself to look back.

...If she _had_ turned around, however... she would have seen John still standing in the doorway, watching her retreating form with a rather preoccupied expression upon his face.

* * *

“Down and dirty. Are you gonna fold? ...You’re not gonna fold.”

John reached across the overbed table to peek at the cards he’d placed facedown on Jacob’s side earlier.

“Ooh, he is staying in with a pair,” he murmured, flipping the cards faceup. “Very impressive. Very bold, confident.” He flipped two of his own cards over now, peering down at them. “Full house. You are unlucky at cards.” He chuckled softly and looked back up at his oldest brother’s supine form in the hospital bed, which was unresponsive as usual. “But... lucky in love.” 

Though still smiling, his lips inadvertently pressed tighter together. With the silence around them in the late night hours of the hospital, he suddenly became all-too-aware of the steady ticking of the wall clock near the windows, the consistent beeping of Jacob’s vital sign monitors.

“Do you remember in like, uh, fifth or sixth grade... l was starting to get really good at poker, and going home with lots of lunch money?” John chuckled again, visualizing his mischievous younger years. “l got to know the principal’s office really well. He always used to say to me-” He narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow, imitating the frequently stern man. “ ‘How come you can't be more like your brother Jacob?’ ” 

He laughed louder now, remembering the look on Jacob’s face when he’d once informed him of that back then - the way his oldest brother’s expression had darkened, and he’d responded by simply giving his younger sibling a gentle pat on the shoulder. ...Little did the principal know who had TP-ed his front lawn the next day, including his new car in the driveway. 

“Well, you know what?” John continued. “l was all right with that. l had no problems with that because l was proud of you. And l was never envious of _anything_ that you had.” 

He paused, the sentiment hanging heavy in the air until he swallowed a growing tightness forming in his throat.

“...Until _now_ ,” he murmured quietly.

His gaze fell to the overbed table, eyeing the playing cards still scattered upon it. Gathering them up, he shuffled them and then plunked the deck facedown on the table.

“I'll cut the deck...” he proposed. “High card... gets Sarah.”

He lifted a small stack of cards from the deck in each hand - one facing him, one facing Jacob. After he glanced down at the bottom card facing him, he turned over the stack that was facing Jacob and stared at its bottom card for several seconds.

“...All right... we’ll go best out of three.”

* * *

Sarah clenched her teeth together behind closed lips to conceal a yawn fighting to break loose. She hadn’t had the most restful sleep last night, and yawning behind the window in front of paying customers didn't exactly come across as professional.

“Hey, you’re still coming to my New Year’s Eve party tonight, right?”

She turned to glance at her pink-haired coworker (and friend) sitting behind her at the other window, who was grinning back at Sarah.

Sarah returned a smile and gave her a small nod. “I already promised, remember Alice?”

“I know... but you never seem to leave that tiny apartment of yours,” her friend joked. “I have to make sure I’m _actually_ going to see you in a social, non-work setting.”

Sarah chuckled and started to turn back towards her window before Alice gave her a playful jab in the back with her elbow.

“And you better wear something that shows off a little boob!” she added, ignoring the old woman that did a double-take and scowled at them as she surrendered her ticket with a huff and moved on.

Sarah snorted and shook her head, then stared down at the counter in front of her as she collected some of the random tickets from the ‘morning rush’ (which, around Hope County, wasn’t saying much). A few more slid through the small opening between the window and counter one by one, as customers wordlessly relinquished them and made their way down the train platform.

“One ticket, please.” 

A younger voice speaking in an obvious deeper register caused her to look up curiously, only for her confused expression to quickly morph to a mix of surprise and amusement when she saw who the speaker was, along with the companion with them.

“Oh my God, Carmina! Ethan! What are you guys doing here? Hi!” She grinned and pointed to the booth door beside her. “Do you guys wanna- do you wanna come through?”

The teens’ faces lit up.

“We can?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah, absolutely.” Sarah leaned over and pushed the door open for them to enter the small booth. It was a little snug - but she had a feeling they wouldn’t mind the coziness (especially Ethan, who looked a little bashful as he squeezed in behind Carmina).

Alice whirled around in her seat eagerly to observe their visitors. “Hey!” she greeted cheerfully. “Who’s this?”

“I'm Ethan, this is Carmina.” The teen nodded at the girl beside him, who was staring at Alice’s hair.

“That is _awweesoome_ ,” Carmina murmured, clearly awed. “I wish my mom would let me do that.”

While Alice laughed for a moment, Sarah scrambled to think of how she was going to explain the nature of her relationship with the adolescents.

“Um, Ethan’s... Ethan’s my, um-” she fumbled.

“Sarah’s gonna marry my uncle Jacob,” Ethan told Alice matter-of-factly.

Alice’s jaw plummeted, and with it Sarah’s stomach as she momentarily turned her head away to grimace.

“What? ... _What??_ Sarah, you’re getting _married??_ ” Alice exclaimed, Ethan and Carmina chuckling at her enthusiasm.

“Well it hasn't... really been announced,” Sarah replied feebly, resisting the urge to facepalm as her friend began bouncing up and down in her seat a little. “So it's a little awkward for me to... say anything, and, um-” Her eyes darted out the window, almost heaving a sigh of relief at the sight of the approaching train. “The train! Your train’s here. You guys gotta go-”

“Oh, the train. Right! Okay. Uh, we’ll see you later?” Ethan asked her, who nodded and waved with a nervous smile as he and Carmina headed back out of the booth again.

“It was nice to meet you guys!” Alice chirped, rounding on Sarah the _second_ Carmina had fully stepped outside. “Shit Sarah, are you _pregnant?_ ” she hissed. “Is that why you’re all ‘hush-hush, wedding rush’?”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Yes, I'm _pregnant_ , Alice,” she replied dryly.

...So distracted was she by her friend, she missed Carmina’s eyes bugging out of her head at the last second before the teen had fully finished passing by their window. She couldn’t help smiling and rolling her eyes as her face was snatched by Alice, who gave it a desperate shake. 

“ _Jesus Christ_ Sarah, you're not tellin' me what's goin’ on! _Details!_ ” Alice shrieked. “ _I need details!!_ ”

“Okay, ALICE! Alice - you have to have _sex_ in order to be _pregnant_ ,” Sarah explained patiently, as if explaining to a child, while removing Alice’s hands from her.

Alice froze and stared at Sarah blankly for several seconds, her hands still held outward.

“But... l thought you were _engaged?_ ” she countered, one eyebrow slowly quirking upwards while she drew the question out.

Sarah’s mouth opened and shut a couple times as she struggled yet again for an explanation. “Well... we’re... we’re... _waiting_ ,” she finished weakly.

“You’re _wai-_ ” Alice stared at her in disbelief for several more seconds, seemingly at a loss. “You’re... _waiting??_ ”

* * *

Miles away, the answering machine in Jacob’s apartment suddenly came to life again.

_“This is Jacob. Leave me a message and I’ll get back to you.” (BEEP)_

“Jacob? Hi, it's Holly. ls... is this machine working? Look, I'm back in Montana and, um... I'm kind of shocked that you haven't called me back. Look, l really would, uh, like to hear from you and... I'd like to see my _cat_. (ahem) Call me.”

* * *

“New Year's Eve hasn’t been the same since Dick Clark died,” Jamila mused.

The Seed clan lounged in their living room, watching the New Year’s Eve celebration on TV and munching on snacks.

Joseph, Megan, and Jamila were seated on the couch while Faith, Nick, and Kim were seated on the floor nearby.

John poked his head out from the hallway leading to the kitchen. “Anybody want anything while I’m up?”

The others shook their heads and he headed back down the hallway - right as Ethan and Carmina came rushing into the room, coats still on. They’d just arrived home and their cheeks were still reddened from the evening’s chilly air.

“Carmina-” Ethan appeared to be trying to curb his friend’s obvious excitement, but she merely waved an impatient hand at him.

“Hey, everybody? Sarah’s _pregnant_ ,” she announced.

John’s head slowly slid back into view as he and the other adults all stared at the teens, thunderstruck. There was a deafening silence for a few moments before the room erupted into chaos.

“What??”  
“How did you find out? What do you mean she’s pregnant??”  
“How do you know?”  
“Where have you been?”

“That's what Sarah said,” Carmina explained, while Ethan raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “We heard it at the ticket booth today.”

“John, do you know anything about this??” Joseph asked.

They all turned to look towards the youngest Seed brother, but all they saw was a hand pulling his coat off of the rack on the wall before it disappeared out through the doorway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, wacky family dinner conversation (you should hear MY family at get-togethers).
> 
> Also, sooo many thanks go out to 'foofygoldfish' for letting me 'borrow' her awesome pink-haired OC, Alice Riley! (Seriously, go read her fics and see for yourself. Alice kicks a$$, lol)


	9. The 'leaning thing'/Happy New Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah's New Year's Eve doesn't go the way she planned. She and John are not great at communicating, as usual. And right after midnight... things immediately become a WHOLE lot more complicated (which is saying something).

_John's head slowly slid back into view as he and the other adults all stared at the teens, thunderstruck. There was a deafening silence for a few moments before the room erupted into chaos._

_“What??”  
_ _“How did you find out? What do you mean she's pregnant??”  
_ _“How do you know?”  
"Where have you been?” _

_“That's what Sarah said,” Carmina explained, while Ethan raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “We heard it at the ticket booth today.”_

_“John, do you know anything about this??” Joseph asked._

_They all turned to look towards the youngest Seed brother, but all they saw was a hand pulling his coat off of the rack on the wall before it disappeared out through the doorway._

* * *

Sarah was getting ready for Alice's New Year's Eve party when a knock came at her apartment door.

“Who is it?” she called out. 

“Hurk Jr!” came the reply.

“...I'm not here!” she tried hopefully.

“l _know_ that trick,” retorted Hurk through the door. “Hey, my momma's got a set of keys.”

“That is illegal and you know it, Hurky.”

She swung the door open to reveal Hurk Jr. standing there with a cheesy grin, holding up a large arrangement of white flowers.

“Ta-da!” he sang. “l told 'em to gimme the same ones they use for fancy funerals.”

Sarah smiled at him politely. “They're beautiful,” she acknowledged, making Hurk shrug and look proud of himself. “I can't accept them,” she added sweetly, and his expression immediately fell.

“...l could move in here,” he suggested. “l bet you Momma would knock fifty bucks off the rent.”

She gave him an apologetic shrug. “l have six months left to live,” she quipped, not missing a beat.

“Aw... you're just tryin' to make me feel better.” Hurk pouted and looked down at the ground.

Sarah chuckled softly and leaned back against the doorframe as he looked up at her again. 

“...It's that _other_ guy, ain't it?” he questioned.

She quirked an eyebrow upwards. “What do you mean?”

“l seen the way you look at him.”

“What?” She huffed and shook her head with a smile. “How do l- how do l look at him?”

“Like you just seen your first Trans Am,” he sulked.

Her smile faded some, starting to feel a little sympathy for the younger Drubman. 

His frown deepened as he held the flowers up to her. “Aw here, take 'em. ...You can lay 'em on my coffin,” he added dryly.

She smiled again and sighed, then leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a hug.

“Thank you, Hurk,” she murmured sincerely.

Hurk froze for a moment, clearly not expecting that, then hesitantly returned her hug.

...Neither of them noticed John standing at the foot of the stairs - who'd happened to arrive just in time to witness the display of affection. His jaw dropped for a moment before he whirled around, paused for thought, then quietly headed back out of the apartment building.

Meanwhile, Hurk glanced down at Sarah's back.

“...Are you wearin' the black bra?” he asked flirtatiously.

She promptly delivered a light smack to the back of his head and released him, then turned and headed back into her apartment without even looking back.

“Ow! What, man?” he objected. “l love black underwears!”

Her apartment door was promptly shut in his face.

* * *

John had been pacing back and forth by the side of his parked Mercedes, trying to figure out exactly what his next move was going to be. 

Jacob... Sarah... Hurk Jr... _himself_...? ...What a mess.

He took a breath and started for Sarah's apartment building again when he looked up and realized she was walking in his direction just a few feet away, pausing when she noticed him.

“John!” she exclaimed, a smile forming on her face. “What are you doing here?”

“...Umm...” He faltered (something he wasn't used to doing) and tried to think up a reasonable explanation. “Uh-” He noticed the ribbon-tied bottle of wine she was carrying and pointed at it instinctively, a light bulb going off. “You're going to a party.”

“Yeah, my friend Alice is having a party tonight.” She gestured down the street with one arm.

“Great. Hey, I'll drive you.” He opened up the passenger side door of his SUV for her.

“Oh, you know what? It's really not that far,” she said, waving a hand at him. “It's fine.”

“No-no-no. Come on, come on,” he insisted with a tense smile, taking her by the arm and leading her towards his car.

She furrowed her brow at him, hesitating before she entered the vehicle. “Okay, but it's- it's really not that far.”

“l move a _lot_ of things with this car,” he joked, shutting the door for her as she ducked inside.

Sarah waited until he climbed into the driver's seat, then inclined her head towards him. “So um... is everything okay?”

“Why?” John's head turned towards her as he started up his car. “Why wouldn't it be okay?”

“You're just... acting really weird.”  
“No no, I'm not being weird.”  
“Yes, you are.”   
“No, I'm not being weird.”

He pulled out from his parking spot and had driven by only a couple buildings before Sarah gestured at one with her hand. “This one, we're here. I... _told_ you it wasn't far.”

“And I told _you_ that it was no trouble,” he retorted, his tone coming out a little harsher than he intended. 

She gave him an odd look while he parked and shook her head a little. They both exited the car, John following close behind her like a bloodhound. She didn't know what was going on, but... something was definitely up.

They made it up to Alice's front door when he suddenly cleared his throat. “So... what about Jacob?”

Sarah knocked on the door, then raised her eyebrows at him and leaned forward expectantly. “What _about_ Jacob?” ...Was she supposed to know what this was about?

John pressed his lips together tightly, trying to think fast of how to voice his concerns. “Jacob is... going to have a lot to deal with when he wakes up-”

The front door opened and the noise of the party cut him off from whatever he was going to say next. A grinning, pink-haired Alice appeared in the doorway. “Sarah! Hey! How are you?”

“Hi!” Sarah greeted back, putting John's strange mood out of her mind as Alice stepped back to let them both inside.

John pinched the bridge of his nose in mild frustration, but it went unnoticed by the other two.

“Come on, come in!” Alice turned her head to the other people in the house. “Hey, everybody - Sarah and her fiancé are here!” 

John's eyes widened and he quickly whirled around to escape, but was only pulled further inside by Alice tugging his coat off of his shoulders and shutting the door. He did a double-take at her bright hair while Sarah heard another familiar voice call out to her.

“Sarah!” Jerome appeared at her side. “Hey, how's it goin’?”

“Jerry, you know Jacob, right?” Alice gestured to John. One of the other party guests handed her a couple drinks, one of which she pushed towards John. “Thank you. Take his coat, Cindy!”

“ _Jacob?_ ” Jerome looked at Sarah quizzically, who rolled her eyes.

“l gotta talk to you,” she replied, gently tugging her boss further into the party and away from John.

“Geez, he looks good!” Jerome shouted to her over the background noise.

“That's not Jacob. That's _John_ ,” she corrected.

Jerome blinked a couple times at her. “Uh, who's John again?”

“Jacob's _brother_.”

“Jacob's... the guy that's in a coma.” 

“Yeah.”

“So then why did you bring _John?_ ” 

“l didn't _bring_ John,” she insisted, huffing a little. “He _followed_ me here.”

Jerome squinted at her, clearly beginning to get a little lost. “So... John's the fiancé?”

“No, _Jacob_ is.”

“Jacob doesn't even know you _exist!_ ”

“l know!”

“So... John is Jacob?”

“Yeah.”

Jerome shook his head, exasperated. “Sarah-”

“Yeah?” She blinked at him owlishly.

“...They have _doctors_ for this kind of thing!” He walked away from her, still shaking his head.

Sarah sighed and rubbed her forehead, knowing this situation had gotten out of hand a _while_ ago. She poured herself a drink from the nearby punch bowl, adding plenty of liquid to the cup. She resisted the urge to scowl when she spotted John out of the corner of her eye, making his way towards her and looking stern.

“Uh! That's _spiked!_ ” he informed her, his tone bordering on being patronizing.

“Thank God,” she shot back as she took a big sip, not in the mood for another reprimand (especially not from _him_ ).

“You shouldn't _have_ any!” he argued, narrowing his eyes.

“Why not?” She swallowed her whole mouthful, grateful for the subsequent warmth that trickled down her throat.

“Because it's not good-”

As cruel fate would have it, the song blasting throughout the party chose that _exact_ moment to come to an end. John, who'd been speaking in a loud voice in order to be heard over the music and chatter, continued at his increased volume through the rest of his sentence.

“-for the _baby!_ ”

...One could hear a pin drop as all eyes in the vicinity turned to stare at her and John. Amidst the stupefied expressions, Sarah caught sight of Jerome across the room. His cup had been raised to his mouth, but it lowered slowly now - revealing his mouth hanging open at the two of them.

* * *

“Wait a minute, will you?”

Sarah sidestepped some partygoers heading in the opposite direction and quickened her pace down the sidewalk, ignoring the man hurrying after her.

He quickly caught up though, huffing a little as he appeared at her side.

“Uh... so this whole evening did not work out well at all,” John started, “and, uh-”

“Oh, and I'm supposed to share some responsibility in that?” she interrupted, her expression somewhere between a smile and a scowl as she glanced over in his direction.

“No, but- ...would you slow down a little bit?”

She stopped by a brick pedestal outside her apartment building and turned to face him, glancing quickly at her building door now only a few yards away. Hands resting on her hips, she sighed and raised her brow at him expectantly.

“Look-” He waved a hand in the air as he continued. “It was just... a misunderstanding, and on top of the Hurk Jr. thing-”

“Excuse me?” she cut in again, eyes narrowing and head tilting questioningly.

John was caught off guard for a moment, remembering that she and Hurk hadn't known that he'd been standing there and had seen them. He took a step backwards. “It's... nothing,” he replied quickly, shoving his hands in his coat pockets.

“No no no, there's no ‘nothing’ now-” She smirked and rested her back against the pedestal, holding a hand up to stop him. “ _What_ ‘Hurk Jr. thing’?”

He stared at her for a moment, as if she were missing something obvious. “...The _‘leaning’_ thing.”

“...‘The leaning thing’,” she repeated blankly.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Um... what do y-” she started laughing a little and held up both her hands palm-upwards, at a loss. “What do you mean by the _leaning_ thi- because he gave me flowers?”

“And then you... _leaned_ ,” John said and waved a hand at her suggestively, innuendo laced throughout his tone as he stepped back towards her.

“And then l _leaned_.” She grinned, still lost but amused at the ridiculous turn this conversation seemed to be taking. “Okay... how did l _lean_ when l leaned?”

“How were you leaning? It was a _lot_ different than _hugging_ ,” he explained, beginning to smirk himself. He slowly took a few more steps forward while he talked, locking his eyes with hers. “Hugging's very different. Hugging, _that_ involves arms, and hands...” He lifted his arms up slightly as if to demonstrate, then lowered them again. 

They were only a foot or so apart now, and his posture inclined more towards her the closer he became. 

Sarah was vaguely aware of her back against the brick behind her and her cheeks suddenly feeling warmer, but she couldn't be entirely sure - she was a bit dazed by John's face approaching hers, reminding her about how handsome he was. 

“-and _leaning_ is whole bodies moving in, like _this_ ,” he continued, his voice growing softer. “Leaning involves wanting... and _accepting_. ...Leaning.”

His face was less than a foot away from hers now, and it was only _then_ that John realized just what he'd done. He knew he should back up, that this wasn't exactly ‘right’... somehow... but... he couldn't seem to stop staring...

Sarah blinked, almost feeling hypnotized. ...Those damn blue eyes of his. Eyes that seemed… _impossibly_ blue. Eyes that broke contact with hers ever-so-briefly, to flicker down at her lips before returning back up to her own blue eyes once again. Her breath caught in her throat when his lips parted-

“ ‘Ey, Sarah!”

The sudden southern drawl that interrupted their... _whatever_ this moment was, made them both stiffen. Both their heads turned slowly to see Hurk Jr. standing a few yards away from another apartment building across the street, where a few other partygoers were congregating outside. 

The younger Drubman was scowling at John and pointed a finger at him warningly - a gesture that was made less threatening by the conical party hat he was wearing.

“ls this guy botherin' you?” Hurk called out.

John and Sarah looked at each other again, both doing their best to suppress grins. John took a step back from her and tucked his head down towards his chest, a small cough escaping him that Sarah was pretty sure was a barely-contained laugh.

She allowed herself a polite smile and shook her head. “No, no,” she replied to Hurk.

“You sure?” he confirmed. “ 'Cause it looks like he's, uh... _leanin'._ ” He tilted a hand to one side as if to demonstrate.

John widened his eyes and snapped his gaze over to Hurk, feeling vindicated. “ _Thank you_ ,” he said gratefully to the other man, then turned his face back to Sarah, smirking. “See?”

Sarah snorted softly, biting the inside of her bottom lip to avoid acting rude to Hurk.

“I'll be right over here if you need me,” he called out again, still giving John a dirty look.

“Okay, thank you very much,” she called back.

She and John watched him turn to go back to his party, then he paused and pointed at John again. “...l know karate, amigo!”

John raised his eyebrows and whipped his head over to Sarah again, his expression somewhere between amused and incredulous. _‘...Seriously??’_ she could practically hear him retort.

As Hurk headed back to the party again, his cone hat caught a low-hanging tree branch while he walked and became askew. He stumbled for a couple paces as he righted the hat, then proceeded to swagger back to the small crowd.

Once he was out of earshot, Sarah released a small laugh. “Okay. Now-” she cleared her throat gently and focused back on John. “What about the _other_ thing?”

“The other thing? The _other_ misunderstanding?” he asked.

She nodded, her grin shrinking to a small smile. “Why did you think l was pregnant?”

“Well... Carmina said that she'd heard something like that,” he replied. 

“And you believed her?” she scoffed.

“l didn't have any reason _not_ to believe her,” he said nonchalantly with a shrug.

Her smile faded completely now, somewhat taken aback. “So... the only reason why your brother would want to marry someone like me... is if l was pregnant, right?”

John's mouth dropped open, trying to recover. “N-no, no...”

“Hm.”

A brief silence fell between the two. Sarah tilted her head forward inquisitively, but he didn't have a comeback for her - other than a nervous half-chuckle.

Stung, her heart sank to the soles of her feet as she maneuvered around him and headed for her apartment door. “Good night,” she murmured, giving a slight shake of her head.

 _‘Say something, John. SAY SOMETHING,’_ his mind yelled at him.

“Fact is, you're not really Jacob's type,” he spat out.

“Yeah, John?” She turned to face him. “All right, whose type _am_ l?” 

His mouth hung open a bit, not sure how to respond.

When he just stared at her wordlessly, she pursed her lips and nodded. “Thank you.”

 _‘Idiot,’_ his brain chastised.

“Look - it's a great idea, you and Jacob,” he continued quickly, following after her when she started for the door again. “It's just... not obvious to the whole _world_ , that's all.”

Gritting her teeth, she turned to stared daggers at him. “You know what, John? I've had a really lousy Christmas, you've just managed to kill my New Year's... if you come back on Easter, you can burn down my apartment.” 

He struggled for words fruitlessly. “Hey, come on, _Sarah_ -”

“What do you _want_ from me, John?” she demanded.

“l... want you not to be unhappy,” he said hesitantly with a slight shrug.

“And what are you - the happiness guru, John? Are _you_ happy?” she snapped back. “Because l don't remember you having had a certain conversation with your brother yet. l mean, you _do_ want to focus less on his church and start your own business, don't you? Or is this just like another miscommunication that we’re having here?”

John narrowed his eyes at her and took a step forward, irritation and resentment suddenly licking at his boots like a flame. “Hey- what do you know about my family?” He jabbed a finger at her. “Spending a week with them does _not_ make you an expert.”

“Spending a lifetime with them hasn't made _you_ one, either.” She reached the building door, yanked it open, and headed inside - adding a little more stomp as she climbed the stairs to her apartment for extra measure.

“Yeah, well... l know that keeping your family happy gets complicated,” he replied, almost matching her pace for pace. “Would your father be happy knowing you're sitting in a ticket booth, planning vacations that you aren't taking?”

Sarah paused at her apartment door, keys in hand, letting his words sink in.

“No... he wouldn't. ...You're right,” she murmured. She couldn't meet his eyes, a growing tightness in her throat. “...But you have no idea what it's like to be alone.”

John tilted his head, his stomach clenching a bit at seeing her upset. “Hey... you have Jacob,” he reminded her gently.

She shook her head. “l don't have _anybody_ ,” she answered quietly, peeking at him out of the corner of her eye. She opened the door to her apartment and trudged inside, giving him one last somber glance before closing the door. “Good night.” 

John stood there for several seconds once the door was closed, his gaze lowering to the floor. He didn't know what he'd been expecting when he headed out earlier tonight, but... this was certainly the last way he'd have wanted things to go. _‘...Damn it,’_ he thought with a heavy sigh. 

Sarah leaned back against her door and sighed. The noise of joyful partygoers celebrating midnight could be heard outside, welcoming the new year and enjoying festivities with their friends and loved ones. ...She suddenly felt more alone than she'd ever been in her life.

“...Happy New Year,” she whispered to her empty apartment.

* * *

_“For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne... we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.”_

At St. Francis Hospital, the doctors and nurses on staff in the intensive care unit grinned and sang the traditional New Year's tune, raising their plastic cups for a toast and clinking them together in cheers.

Unbeknownst to them... the auburn-haired coma patient lying in the room across from the central desk began to shift in his bed. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times before turning his head sluggishly towards the singing, confused as to his surroundings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Dun dun DUN!
> 
> Also, many thanks AGAIN go to 'foofygoldfish' for letting me 'borrow' her awesome pink-haired OC, Alice Riley! (Seriously, go read her fics and see for yourself. Alice kicks a$$, lol)
> 
> (...And a HUGE thank you to the few that read my fics! Seriously, I can't even put into words how much it means to me. Thank you for giving me chance guys, and thank you for reading my stuff! :) :) :) )
> 
> ALSO: For anyone interested, I recently discovered that 'While You Were Sleeping' (the movie this fic is based off of) is available for streaming on Disney+... so if anyone is a subscriber, you can see the movie that inspired this work there! :-)


	10. "He's awake!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob finally awakens from his coma, Sarah panics about the outcome, and then... of course, something unexpected happens.

_“For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne... we’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.”_

_At St. Francis Hospital, the doctors and nurses on staff in the intensive care unit grinned and sang the traditional New Year’s tune, raising their plastic cups for a toast and clinking them together in cheers._

_Unbeknownst to them... the auburn-haired coma patient lying in the room across from the central desk began to shift in his bed. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times before turning his head sluggishly towards the singing, confused as to his surroundings._

* * *

The following day had Sarah rushing through the hospital unit doors after work, heading straight for Joseph as soon as she spotted him standing in the hallway.

“Joseph-” 

He turned around and smiled warmly at her, making her more confused about the ambiguous call she'd received from the hospital that morning.

“They called me and told me to get down here,” she told him. “What happened?”

“He's awake!” Joseph replied excitedly, happiness radiating from him.

Sarah felt as though the earth fell from underneath her feet. She couldn't function for a moment, turning away without being aware of it. Maybe - by some _miracle_ \- maybe she could make it to the elevators before-

Her senses returned to her (frayed as they'd instantly become) when Joseph gently grabbed her arm and began corralling her towards Jacob's hospital room.

“Boy, will he be glad to see you!” he grinned.

“Y... yeah...” she murmured, her back teeth grinding together and pulse pounding like never before.

* * *

"Jacob? Jacob..."

Dr. Rubin (the older doctor that Sarah had met Jacob's first day at the hospital) was leaning over the hospital bed and lightly shaking his patient's shoulder, trying to rouse him from his sleep.

Jacob's head slowly turned towards the doctor and his eyelids began to flutter. 

"Your family's here, Jacob," Dr. Rubin continued softly.

Joseph, Megan, Jamila, Faith, and Nick were clustered together at the foot of Jacob's bed, eagerly awaiting his reawakening. 

Sarah stood at the back of the group, each second that passed by feeling like hours. Her head turned to the left, and for a moment she stared longingly at the steady red glow of the 'EXIT' sign by the nursing station outside the room. Briefly, she allowed her brain to be irrational and silently prayed for a crazy miracle - a fire alarm, a flood... _anything_ that might enable her to escape and save her from the horrible confrontation she knew was... unavoidable. Her heart sank, feeling more agonized by the second.

"Mmh..." A quiet grunt came from the bed, causing her focus to shift back to Jacob. She plastered a friendly smile on her face, trying to at least blend in with everyone else.

He finally opened his eyes, blinking several times before fixating on Joseph, who was standing at the lower corner of the bed. His younger brother didn't speak - they'd all been forewarned by the doctor to try not to excite Jacob too much, especially at first - and just beamed at him instead. From there, Jacob's gaze slowly moved on to Megan... then Jamila... then Nick... then Sarah... then Faith-

His eyes immediately darted back to Sarah - and after peering at her for a couple seconds, his brow furrowed and he squinted at her, confusion leaking into his features.

_‘Oh God... here we go...’_ she instantly thought.

"...Wh-who are _you?_ " Jacob mumbled hoarsely.

Joseph, Megan, Jamila, and Faith's smiles vanished. Their heads turned to look at Sarah, while Nick closed his eyes and covered his face with his palm, letting out a quiet grunt.

Alarm sirens screamed in Sarah's head and her mouth dropped open - but she had absolutely _no_ idea how to proceed from here.

_‘WhatDoIDo, WhatDoIDo, WhatDoIDo, WhatDoIDo-’_

“My god...” Joseph murmured, bringing her hysterical mental ramblings to a screeching halt. She took a breath, trying to prepare herself for the bedlam she was sure was imminent - but nothing, _nothing_ could have prepared her for his next words.

“...He's got amnesia.”

Jacob blinked a couple more times before his head fell back against his pillow like dead weight, out cold once more.

* * *

Dr. Rubin took a breath and adjusted his glasses. “Lacunar amnesia is a condition in which memory loss is localized and patchy, limited to isolated events.”

The others were staring at him in the waiting area. Meanwhile, Sarah was facing the wall, leaning her head against it - wishing the floor would just swallow her up. She was having a hard time not feeling like the worst person in the world right now.

“Selective amnesia?” Megan said, raising her eyebrows.

“Okay, exactly,” Dr. Rubin replied.

“Um, l'm sorry-” Sarah spoke up, unable to keep silent any longer as she turned towards the family. “l-l need to tell you guys something that's really important.”

The others turned to look at her and she drew in a shaky breath, pulse pounding in her ears. 

_‘Here goes...’_

“l... l was never-” 

“Pregnant?” Jamila interrupted.

Sarah blinked and crinkled her eyebrows, thrown off track. “Huh?”

“We know,” Jamila continued, giving her a small smile. “John called us.” 

Megan and Faith gave Sarah sympathetic smiles as well and nodded.

The elevator behind Sarah chimed and John coincidentally exited it at that moment, heading for his family.

“Hey. So he's come out of it, huh?” John said to Sarah as he joined the rest of the group.

“John! We're so glad you're here,” Joseph greeted, giving his younger brother an affectionate clap on the back while a dark-haired man in a hospital uniform approached them all.

“Excuse me, Doctor?” (Sarah recognized him as the man that had given her Jacob's belongings before and addressed her as his wife... what was his name again? Spatt? _Pratt_ , that was it) “He's up again,” he said, gesturing to Jacob's room.

“All right, let's go,” Megan said to everyone, the group heading back towards Jacob's room.

Sarah lagged behind, starting to panic a little again. She grabbed onto Nick's arm when she thought no one would notice and pulled him backwards.

“Niiiick!” she whined anxiously, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

He nodded and held his palms up to her. “Now-now listen: let _me_ handle it. I'm too old a friend for them to kill. _I'll_ take care of it, all right?” 

“...Okay,” she murmured, slightly relieved.

“And I'll do it _right now_. Come on. Let's go.” He started leading her back to Jacob's room, giving her a gentle push forward. “...Right behind you,” he added.

...If Sarah had kept her eyes on him before entering the room, she would've seen him stop short of the door, then immediately veer off to the left and power walk down the rest of the hallway.

“How you feelin', hon?” Jamila was saying to Jacob, who looked a little more lucid now than a few minutes ago.

“I... I dunno,” Jacob replied with a slight shrug.

Sarah stumbled a little as she rejoined the other Seeds, catching their attention.

John smiled and turned his head back to Jacob. “Hey, you remember _her?_ ” He gestured towards Sarah with his head.

Jacob stared at her blankly for a couple seconds, then looked back at John. “...Sh-should l?”

“Look _closely_ ,” Faith urged him gently.

Sarah clenched her back teeth together again, knowing full well that Jacob could stare at her until the cows came home and it wouldn't make any difference.

“She looks... a _little_ familiar,” Jacob said with uncertainty. “Why?”

“l think it's coming back,” Joseph murmured to Megan, who grinned and nodded.

“l think so!”

“Wh-what's coming back?” Jacob asked, cocking one eyebrow. “Tell me. What?”

“You have amnesia,” Megan gently explained. 

“l do?”

“Jacob-” Faith cut in, leaning forward to squeeze her brother's hand gently. “You're _engaged_.”

Jacob's eyes widened at her. “... _Engaged?_ ...To _who?_ ”

“To Sarah.”

“Sarah?” He looked thunderstruck. “Who's _Sarah?_ ”

“You don't remember, _do_ you?” Megan asked, pursing her lips sympathetically.

“Excuse me-” The hospital worker - Pratt - entered the room with a tray of food and smiled at Jacob as he placed the tray on the overbed table at his bedside. “Got some peach Jell-O for you today.”

Jacob turned his head to Joseph, his eyes darting around a little. “Do... do l _like_ Jell-O?” he asked in a hushed voice.

“All right... l think he's had _enough_ excitement for one evening,” Dr. Rubin interrupted gently from the corner of the room. “Let's all go home.” 

Joseph gave Jacob an affectionate pat on his shoulder. “Hang in there Jake,” he told him softly as he and the others turned to leave.

“Good night hon,” Jamila added with a smile, lightly squeezing Jacob's forearm.

“Night, Jamila,” Jacob mumbled, looking a bit frazzled.

Megan took her mother's arm as they headed out, the old woman grinning at her daughter.

“He looks so good!” Jamila murmured quietly. “Now that he's awake, I wonder if he'll be needing a sponge bath any ti-”

“ _Mother_ ,” Megan warned, shaking her head but still smiling.

“Seems like he's going to be fine,” Faith added, giving Megan a light hug around her shoulders before walking ahead to catch the next elevator for them.

“All right, we'll be back,” John promised his brother before he too exited the room.

At the end of the hallway (unnoticed by everyone else), Nick peeked at them through the glass windows from the other side of the double doors separating the ICU from the rest of the hospital. When he was sure it was 'safe' (as everyone was heading for the elevators now), he strolled through the doors casually as if he'd been with them the whole time.

...Sarah was not so easily fooled.

The second she caught sight of him she cast a quick glance at the other retreating Seeds before rounding on him, grabbing the front of his coat and yanking him aside.

“Nick! Where have you _been?_ ” she hissed, narrowing her eyes.

“What? I'm not allowed to go to the bathroom?” he asked her innocently.

She stamped a foot in indignation. “ _Nick!_ ”

“All right look, I'm _handling_ it," he assured her, holding his hands up. "l will tell them!”

“When? _When?_ " she demanded. "On my ‘golden anniversary’??” She scowled, grabbing hold of one of his arms and dragging him towards the elevators to catch up to the others.

“Sarah, I'll tell them!”

“You'd _better_ tell them!”

“l _said_ I'd tell them!”

* * *

The car ride between John and Sarah back to her apartment building was... very quiet.

They were both lost in thought, each taking a moment every so often to peek at the other one when they thought the other wasn't looking or wouldn't notice.

John opened his mouth to say something more than once, but... words just seemed to fail him. He knew he should be happy... _thrilled_ that his oldest brother was finally awake, that his prognosis looked very good... but...

He sighed quietly as he pulled up next to the sidewalk outside Sarah's building and parked his SUV, practically staring holes into his steering wheel for a moment.

“John... you've been really great this week,” Sarah told him in a quiet voice. 

He glanced over at her, then scoffed and hung his head. “Yeah, like uh... when l accused you of _lying_ to everybody,” he said dryly. He lifted a hand up as he thought back. “Or when l accused you of having a relationship with _Hurk Jr._ -” 

She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head as she remembered, a wry smile growing on her face.

“Or when l thought you were _pregnant_ , and l announced it to _all_ your friends,” he chuckled sheepishly.

She winced at the memory and laughed softly. “You've uh... had a really busy week this week, haven't you?” 

He smiled wearily and facepalmed, shaking his head for a moment.

Her face gradually fell and she cleared her throat. “Look John, l um... starting tomorrow, things... are probably gonna be kind of different.”

“Yeah,” he muttered, the air suddenly feeling a lot heavier.

“l just wanted you to know that you've become, uh... a really good friend.”

_‘...A friend. My brother's fiancée. As it should be,’_ he thought.

When he didn't respond for several seconds, she nodded and gave him another brief smile before opening the passenger door to exit. “Okay.” 

“...Good friend,” he murmured to himself as she got out of the car, then- “Sarah!”

When she turned and leaned back through the open door to hear what he had to say, he took a deep breath.

“l didn't mean, uh... what l said about you and Jacob,” he said. “l think you two are gonna make a really terrific couple, and uh... I'm really glad that you won't be alone anymore.”

_'...Very smooth,_ _John,'_ , his mind retorted dryly.

Sarah just stood there for a moment, taking his words in, then nodded and leaned back out of the car. “Good-bye,” she murmured before shutting the door.

“Bye.”

John started up his SUV again and pulled away from the curb carefully, refusing to let himself look back at her.

...If he _had,_ he might've seen Sarah watching his car drive away for several seconds afterward, before she turned and took her time walking back towards her building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, 'excuses excuses' with me... for what it's worth: I was trying to get through all the holidays, am now halfway through a pregnancy (as of this chapter), trying my best not to get sick, trying to get my house (gradually) ready for a new baby while raising a 3 year old, working on my YouTube channel (which has only a few subscribers, LOL), and was stuck in yet ANOTHER writing rut while me and the rest of the world struggled through 2020 and pandemic hell.
> 
> I really do NOT want to let ANY of my fics/WIPs die, especially unfinished, so I'm trying to pull myself up 'by my bootstraps' yet again and do what I can to get some writing done once more. 
> 
> Thank you SO much (seriously, there aren't even words) to those that have stuck with me thus far and continue to read my stuff, and to anyone that commented and I didn't reply back (it wasn't a 'diss', I swear - I read and enjoy ALL comments I receive, even if I don't get a chance to reply). I can't even apologize enough for the huge gaps/lag between updates - but I really AM trying, and will continue to do so as much as I can. I want to finish telling John and Sarah's story (both in FC5-verse AND in my AU), and that of my FO4 fic as well.
> 
> SO - it's a new year, and it seemed only appropriate to spurn myself forward as New Year's Eve passes in this fic as well. Jake's awake now! Wooooo, the plot is ever-thickening! What will Sarah/John/Nick/Jacob do NOW?? Will the Seeds EVER find out the truth??? ;-)

**Author's Note:**

> I also have a Pinterest board for this fic! (Yes, I am a dork, lol)  
> https://www.pinterest.com/sprocket135/far-cry-5-no-cult-au-i-should-tell-you/


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